Power of the Cordakah
by Kerian Halcyon
Summary: Six mighty Toa were created by Mata Nui to deal with the darkest of missions in and out of his universe. Now they have been reborn, and must defeat a monster in an island where the Makuta enslave Matoran and Toa alike. -editing in progress-
1. Chapter 1: Caught

**Power of the Cordakah, Chapter 1**

Another day in the land of pain and suffering. For Torak, that meant running around like crazy, trying to dodge the Vahki and Karakash forces that fly about the slave compounds, attempting to rescue Matoran slaves that haven't been brainwashed to the point that they consider being beat by a Slavedriver an honor, and making sure that the resistance received the supplies needed for future use when fighting against the forces of Makuta Nui.

Torak couldn't remember how long he was on this island. All that he can vaguely remember was that he woke up to find a snarling monster in his face tell him that it was time to work in the fields. It was only thanks to his strong will that he didn't go insane like many other people and end up begging for beatings from the Slavedrivers.

Torak could also remember how he joined the resistance. It was about five years back when his arch-nemesis, the Slavedriver called Thokros, was about to use a good friend of his for a blade sharpener. Right then and there, in a tremendous rage Torak used his carving tool and struck Thokros' unprotected back, severing his spine tail from the rest of his body. As Thokros went down, Torak took advantage of the fact that Skakdi cannot move their legs without their so called "spine" that extends from the back of their heads.

Quickly, he and his friend Lekka both ran as fast as they could, dodging brainwashed slaves, Slavedrivers with less intelligence than muscle, and Vahki patrols that were too concentrated on Thokros' pained shouts than to concentrate on two escaping matoran.

They quickly made their way to the sewers, which is how Torak and Lekka met up with the resistance, which happened to spend most of their lives in the sewage tunnels beneath the city plateaus of Makuta Nui. He has played a large role in the resistance, and will continue to do so until his very end.

Right now, he is on a very important mission.

Last night, the Slavedrivers announced that in a week or so the celebration of the Anniversary of Makuta Nui's formation would begin. This is a very important event for the Brotherhood of the Makuta, the Slavedrivers, and slaves alike because it was the time when the Brotherhood of the Makuta arrived and made their permanent headquarters on the island continent. For the slaves, this meant that they could take the whole day off of work.

It was what the Slavedrivers got that bugged the resistance.

Every time an anniversary like this was to come, which happened once per century, the six highest ranked Slavedrivers would pick one single slave in Makuta Nui. That slave was to be given an infected "Toa" stone, which allowed them to become a relatively weak, armorless Toa that was considered false and easily dealt with. Since Toa were not allowed on the island, the Slavedrivers were to make the Toa combat them in a fight to the death, in which it was guaranteed that the Toa would die, because even if he did defeat the Slavedriver, the Brotherhood would simply throw him off of the plateau.

Torak knew for a fact that it was a 5,000 foot drop, one that not even a Toa of air could survive.

Torak's mission was simple; find out which slave the Slavedriver in his current position was choosing, and kidnap the slave right in front of the Slavedriver's overly disgusting nose. This would ensure that the resistance would go to any lengths to ensure the survival of the matoran.

Torak quickly walked down the ally that he was hiding in. As he peeked from around the corner, he saw a troop of Vahki march down the street. The matoran workers made sure that there was room for the Vahki squadrons, as they were programmed to trample anyone smaller than them that got in their way.

Torak thought it was hopeless. He was never going to have a glimpse of the new Slavedriver that was taking over Thokros' place. It seemed that he got here for nothing.

Suddenly, he felt something very cold and very hard hit him from behind. He fell to the ground, an ice cube formed from his chest down, pinning him instantly.

A very familiar face looked down upon his now frozen body. Too familiar.

"Hello, Mr. Kinloka face!" snarled Thokros, his eyes gleaming with hatred and the glint of victory.

Torak had no doubt that this would be the worst moment in his life.

**Kerian**: This epic has been long overdo for an edit. I didn't have to worry about it when I originally revealed it, on the currently downed website called BZPower, but I think that now I can do everyone a favor and change things up a bit so that it meets FanFiction standards.

This is my first attempt at a Bionicle story (called an Epic in BZPower because it is an action/adventure story) and it has been rather successful at BZPower. However, the only individual here who has edited it at all is Galadriadrahar (great guy, great reviewer). I hope that changes soon when I edit this story. I encourage viewers to review this story; even if you can't think of anything to say, I still want to hear from my viewers about what they think about this story. Until next time, me out!

-Kerian

P.S. I forgot to mention that the first four chapters are relatively short, based off of the size of chapters in official Bionicle Stories on . That changes after chapter 5, however, so don't let size discourage you. Hope to be reading your reviews soon!


	2. Chapter 2: Sentence

**Power of the Cordakah, Chapter 2**

There was only one thing that Lekka would consider worse than slavery; losing his dignity in front of his peers by being stripped of his skills and made look like a fool. Being transformed into a false Toa pretty much exceeds that position.

On a mission to deliver supplies to the resistance from a ship's cargo hold, he managed to get himself caught by one of the few Slavedrivers that could fly. Kiro, a bat-like, terrifying, overall ugly Makuta happened to be patrolling the area when he spotted Lekka attempting to jump off of the airship and onto the rendezvous point. The next thing Lekka knew was that he was stuck within Kiro's claws and being sent on his way to the Slavedriver compound.

When he next came to, he was in a line with his six friends, four others from the resistance. His best friend Torak was standing next to him in line. All six of them were bound to the wall.

He recognized three more of the characters. The first was Nurri, the current leader of the resistance, and another good friend. The second was Kiran, a Po-matoran who generally kept to himself, but who was also in the resistance. The third was Galah, a Ga-matoran that Lekka wished had feelings for him.

There was also one more that Lekka knew only by reputation. Setnik was a Ko-matoran who held a resistance group of his own. He believed in passive resistance, using defiance and outright ignorance of orders to resist the Slavedrivers. Nurri believed that to be too risky and slow of a movement to do, so Setnik formed his own group that believed in non-violence. However, for him to be here now must mean that he finally got himself into big trouble.

A big, burly Slavedriver came into the room. He carried a big chain, with a giant fork at the end of it. Behind him came several matoran slave assistants, each carrying what looked like a small package between them.

The Slavedriver coughed for attention. _Not like he needed it_, Lekka thought, _there was nothing much else to do around here_.

"You probably know the reasons why you are here," the Slavedriver stated, "but I will state it once for the Makuta Nui archives, so the slaves back there better listen closely!"

Two slaves, one holding a large slate, the other holding a carver's tool, stood at attention.

"The six of you," the Slavedriver began, "are here because you have been caught in the act of violence and disobedience within Makuta Nui's boundaries, a charge punishable by death!"

"Is that all?" Asked Lekka, "I thought there was some sort of committee involved or something…"

Giggles were passed amongst the Matoran. Even the slaves carving the archive couldn't suppress themselves.

One look from the Slavedriver changed that immediately.

"Several of you have caused different acts than others," he continued, "one of you, the one called Torak, attempted to murder, and successfully injured the Slavedriver lieutenant called Thokros, who only just recently had been equipped to replace his severed headtail!"

Torak smiled visibly. He seemed to take pride in his old enemy's pain and misery.

"Another, Nurri, has been charged of being the current leader of an organization bent on the Slavedriver's complete destruction, and the absurd notion of freeing the slaves!"

"Something which I have been proud to be a title of!" Nurri shouted. This was followed by the silent cheers of all but Sentik, who was seemingly ruminating in his position to the left of the rest of the group.

"The rest of you have been charged with the thievery of supplies, weapons, food items, and the kidnapping of slaves throughout the years for the same resistance," continued the Slavedriver. Then, the Slavedriver smiled, "all except one of you." He pointed to Sentik.

Lekka looked over at Sentik. Something did seem different about the Ko-matoran.

The Slavedriver seemed very gleeful about Sentik's dilemma. He continues, "He is charged with the attempted and successful murder of the matoran called Teros!"

Even Lekka couldn't help but gasp. Teros happened to be the oldest and most notorious of all of the Matoran slaves. He had a greater record for trouble and fights amongst the Slavedrivers than even Nurri could ever dream of doing. For him to be murdered, especially by a fellow matoran, was a devastating thing to think of. Even the carver slaves lowered their tools in shock.

The Slavedriver's grin grew wider. "I saw it myself. The perpetrator shoved him off of the ledge of the Plateau into the void below. He was dead as soon as he left the edge."

Sentik looked up. For the first time since Lekka first saw him, he saw true rage and violence showing in Sentik's eyes, a rage that was obviously cooped up for a long time.

"His death was better than living a life being a slave under the command of filth like you, Lohrak Slime!" He shouted for all of the slaves to hear.

One swipe was all the Slavedriver needed to knock him out. Quick, and painless; for the Slavedriver.

"Now then," he said, gesturing to the matoran carrying the packages, "let the sentence begin."

**Kerian**: Oh boy...I wonder what kind of sentence these slaves are about to get. What about Sentik? Why did he toss Teros off of a cliff? Will these six ever get a chance of redemption?

I always wanted to make a place called Makuta Nui. Ever since my 7th-8th grade years I wanted to make something like that, a place where the Makuta ruled, where the land was considered their true breadbasket to their ever growing armies. Like always, however, things do not appear as they seem. Tune in next chapter to find out more, but until next time, me out!

-Kerian


	3. Chapter 3: Failure

**Power of the Cordakah, Chapter 3**

Like I said, losing his liberties he can handle. It was once he lost his dignity that things would get carried away.

Once he regained consciousness, he noticed that he had a growth spurt during the time that he was out. Looking down at himself, he almost imagined that the Great Spirit, Mata Nui, had pitied on him during the night and turned him into a Toa!

Then he remembered his sentence. He was no Toa, but only a prop that was going to be used during the ceremony of Makuta Nui's 80,000 year as the headquarters of the Brotherhood of the Makuta.

_Something not even a Kinloka could stomach celebrating_, Lekka said to himself.

As he and the others were led out, Lekka's heart continued to sag. All of his work for the resistance, all of their work, was going to amount to nothing. Even Sentik's work to help win the freedom of the matoran was going to be wiped away from the face of the island like a carver swiping a speck of dust off of a disfigured masterpiece.

The six matoran, now created into armorless, weaponless, powerless "Toa," were separated and taken each to the six different districts on the island. Lekka knew where he was going. Le-Makuta was the place where he first came to the island, and should honorably be the place that he would leave it.

A Vahki cut the bonds from Lekka's hands. He was quickly given two strange knife-like objects. Lekka quickly recognized them as the matoran katana that he was working on the day before he joined the resistance. The fact that now, after all these years, they unite with him in death, was quite the thing worth telling stories about.

_Still_, he thought, _nobody wants to hear the tale of a failed slave_.

* * *

Torak had similar thoughts going through his mind, although they focused more on to what was going to become in his final battle. Knowing the Slavedrivers, only the most powerful and hated of all of them would pick him, as he had a price on his head bigger than Nurri's. Torak had a pretty vague idea about who was going to fight him.

He was right.

As the door opened, the scenery that Torak witnessed could only be explained as nothing short of breathtaking. The arena was built on a cliff edge, with grandstands on the main part of the plateau facing the one ledge. However, over 55% of the ledge's sides were empty, with nothing but empty space beyond the arena's main battlefield.

All beauty was lost to Torak, as the centermost figure in front of him was none other than his arch nemesis…

Thokros the Cruel!

"Hey, Torak!" Thokros shouted out to the weak figure that Torak guessed was himself, "I hope you have made your prayers to Mata Nui, because you will be meeting him in your sleep soon!"

_Great_, Torak thought, _one more thing to put on my worry list_.

* * *

Nurri watched in horror as he looked up to the people that he once fought for his whole life to rescue. They threw stones and old garbage at him, shouting disgusting names at him, and stating that he got what he rightly deserved. Just goes to show how long they were brainwashed by the Slavedrivers' whips.

He turned back to the coliseum of Onu-Makuta, where he was taken to battle his final battle. His opponent was a big burly creature, Seelkath, A Slavedriver from the district of Po-Makuta. Seelkath whirled his club in anticipation, licking his lips in the desire for the pleasures of battle.

Nurri looked down at himself. He could never deny that all his life he wished to be a Toa, so that he may have the chance of defeating his enemies and freeing Makuta Nui from the Brotherhood's grip. Now, he was standing there as a Toa stripped of its powers and pride, and it seemed that he was going to get his chance.

He picked up the staff that was given to him by the Slavedriver officials just before he was tossed into the ring. He lifted a small, flat, circular rock that he guessed was the poor imitation of a shield. He got his weak body into a battle stance, and made a final salute to the slaves watching him above.

He turned to his opponent, and grinned. He said, smiling, "I hope you got yourself trained for this, because I don't die easily!"

"Gggooooddd," hissed Seelkath, licking what Nurri guessed were lips, "I was hoping on making sure you die lonnnnnggg and slowwwww; it will keep your body fresh for my dinnnnnner!"

And with that, the battle began.

**Kerian**: Oh boy...This could get ugly. Lekka gets a bit depressed, Torak faces his archenemy, Nurri fights against a psychopath (then again all the Slavedrivers are), and the six matoran have turned into "false" Toa! What kind of monsters are these people?!?

There are a total of six Slavedrivers, similar in design to bad guys in all of the Bionicle universe (example, six Piraka, six Bohrok species, six Vahki types, etc.). As such, there are also six good guys, though right now they are false-Toa similar in appearance to the Toa Metru, just without armor and masks. Will that change, or will these freedom fighters be lost throughout eternity?

-Kerian


	4. Chapter 4: Battle

**Power of the Cordakah, Chapter 4**

Kiran had never battled a water creature before, even in all the time he was the appointed Rahi wrangler of Po-Makuta. At least, it looked like a creature, without true signs of intelligence.

That was what everybody thought when they get their first glance of Takea, the Slavedriver of Ga-Makuta, but soon everybody finds out that he was just the opposite. Nobody truly knew if Takea was actually primal, or if he acted like it as a mask to show his true intelligence, which he truly reveals only to those who receive the business end of his schemes and sword.

Nevertheless, only Takea knew his true intelligence level, and it looked like today he wasn't going to show it.

Kiran raised two old climbing tools in self defense as Takea's sword, a nasty looking thing that looked like the tail of a Takea shark aligned with what was once shark teeth, came down on the matoran-turned-Toa. The blade came down hard, almost knocking Kiran senseless.

Kiran stooped, catching his breath, looking around for some alternative that could give him an edge against such a powerful foe. As he did so, he kept a wary eye on his foe, who at the same time was glancing upward at the cheering crowd.

"Do you see them boy?" Takea hissed at Kiran as he still looked up at the crowd, "They cheer for me, a creature who would sooner eat them and torture them than side with them. And here you are, a simple matoran who thought he could resist the Slavedrivers' whip, now jeered at and being used for simple combat practice! Such irony, is it not?"

Kiran almost dropped his tools in surprise. He had never heard of Takea, the lone wolf Slavedriver of savagery, being capable of speech, let alone speak like some Turaga from a place like the legendary Metru Nui!

"Well," said Kiran, catching himself as he realized that he was in a vulnerable state, "at least I will die fighting for what I believe in!"

"Wrong, boy," said Takea, turning his serpent-like eyes at the Toa. Kiran almost froze under the gaze of such a monstrous set of eyes, eyes that looked like they belonged to something that had died and forgot they were supposed to decay. Takea brought his shark-like body to its full height, almost dwarfing Kiran.

"You die as a pitiful slave!"

* * *

Galah was having problems of her own. She was fighting against Lehxor, a Slavedriver who was known to be as insane as he was savage! Lehxor was said to have come from the island of Xia, a place known for its bloodthirsty race and the scientific "creations" that they came up with. Lehxor was said to have also been a Skakdi, although he looked nothing like one: His body was different shades of green, his eyes were like those from a nightmare, and he was so skinny that he looked like the vines of a tree, and there were rumors that he was capable of flying. Oh, yeah; his four green arms had infected blades permanently attached to his body!

Galah did the best that she could to keep her body from being touched by the deadly blades, which kept speeding up so fast that it was a miracle that she didn't get cut to bits! She occasionally used the lightweight blades she was given to protect her unprotected body from becoming scratched by the whirling swords, and occasionally used them in offense herself by deflecting blows from her opponent's occasional kicks.

She could tell the battle wasn't going well in her favor. All Lehxor did was go faster, cackling with delight for every successful hit he made on her axes from his mighty swords. It made Galah think of what the crazy Skakdi was truly trying to do.

"Heeheeheehee!" cackled the Slavedriver in delight, "I'm gonna cut you up and feed you to the Birds, Slave! Hahahahahaha! If poison from my blades don't kill you first, my blade running through you will! Heeheehee! Maybe if you lucky you fall off cliff behind you flat on silly face!

So that was his plan! Galah, quickly looked over her shoulder as she deflected another of Lehxor's blows. Sure enough, not more than three yards away, the edge of the ring could be seen, and Lehxor was slowly backing her up to it!

The insane Skakdi was actually trying to send her over the cliff!

Galah quickly thought up a course of action. She knew that if she didn't try something soon, there would be three courses her life could take her; death by dismemberment, death by poison, or death by full body concussion from a 5,000 foot drop from the edge of a plateau!

Suddenly, it hit her! She began to back up a little more towards the edge as Lehxor kept attacking, making it look like she was beginning to lose her footing and falling backwards.

Lehxor saw the change in Galah's pace, and began to frenzy even faster. He kept attacking her so fast that Galah knew that if she didn't block the blows fast enough she would die before her plan went into work. She just kept going backwards until she was about three feet away from Lehxor, then pushed him backwards.

She stooped low, taking heavy breaths. Lehxor stopped and cocked his head as Galah dropped her axes next to her. She stood up and raised her arms out, fully exposing her chest to the Slavedriver.

"You win," she said, "Just get it over with!"

Lehxor grinned wide. He lounged at Galah, a war cry on his lips, his blades whirling like helicopter rotors.

This was exactly as Galah hoped for.

She neatly sidestepped the oncoming Slavedriver. Lehxor glanced back at Galah as he realized that she had set a trap for him! He actually jumped off of the cliff!

Galah didn't even glance back to see if he fell. She picked up her axes and neatly walked to the center of the ring, where she bet to herself she would be forced to meet her next challenge.

Suddenly, she heard a whirling sound behind her. She turned around, and almost fell backwards in shock to see Lehxor neatly flying through the air, using his blades like separate helicopter rotors, flying neatly around the ring in circles and cackling insanely.

_Oh well_, Galah thought, _here we go again_.

* * *

Sentik was almost completely ignoring his battle. He could not believe what he had done to earn such a punishment, to go from successful peacemaker to brutal murderer in a single day.

Nobody even knew the full extent of what happened between him and Teros, and the reason why he had to push him off of the edge of the plateau, the biggest drop any one matoran could face!

It was Teros who asked him to.

Teros had been a little crazy for an old man. He kept on going about prophecies that the world would fall if the Brotherhood were to take over, and that Makuta Nui must be freed from the evil that contained it. He even went on about how the Brotherhood drove out Makuta Nui's true people, and that the true rulers of Makuta Nui must return to power before the most ancient of all evils were to come into control.

As much as Sentik thought that Teros was crazy, he respected the old man because he was almost wiser than a Turaga, and was his mentor to boot. Teros told of a day when they all would become great heroes, and would be charged with the destiny of purging Makuta Nui of the evil force that controlled it. Sentik was loved by Teros like a father loved his son, and Sentik shared equal feelings with his old mentor.

So when Teros told Sentik to push him off the Plateau, he was heartbroken.

Teros explained that he felt that a great power was about to come over his body when he died, and he also explained that he could no longer remain in this world the way he was. He told Sentik that he was to push him as hard as he could, and never forget the lessons that he had taught him.

Now Sentik was to be punished for something he didn't want to do in the first place; he had killed his mentor, his teacher, his friend!

He felt a slight pain as a club came down on him. He looked up at Kiro, a winged Makuta Slavedriver from Onu-Makuta, who was his opponent.

Kiro grinned menacingly at the slave, challenging him to get up, "Come on now, you pitiful excuse of a slave! Let's see what you can do, peacekeeper!"

Sentik ground his fist into the rock that made up the floor of the arena. A tear fell from his mask, freezing as it hit the cold ground. Never. Never again would he make peace with such heartless monsters! For the first time in his life, Sentik was going to fight to the death!

He picked up the rapier that was to be his weapon. In the other hand he picked up a thick shield made of ice. He made a final act of defiance and prepared a battle stance!

"Let's see what you got, Kinloka breath!" he shouted, and then charged!

It was right about then when six red bolts of energy hit the ground directly in the center of all six arenas! Toa and Slavedriver stood in shock as they all saw something that would change their lives forever!

**Kerian**: Well now...now we know a little more about the other three Toa and the Slavedrivers they have to fight. I think it's time that I gave you guys some descriptions about their appearances.

Lexhor: A Skakdi (Piraka) who has four arms, each one with a poisonous blade permanently attached to the hand. Completely green, and wearing a head similar to Vezon (a mask instead of a green head).

Kiro: A former Makuta, turned into a Slavedriver when he helped cause a series of accidents that helped to destroy the reputation of the Makuta. Though he can form wings from his back, he can't create a shadow-hand or any other Makuta powers due to a set of armor that will kill him if he tries. Carries a mace and a chain (mace comes from Toa Metru Nuju), and wears a mask of Night Vision (Metru style). Wears black armor.

Takea: Not much is known about Takea, save that he acts very much like an animal. However, his primal appearance hides his true intelligence, which he only reveals when people recieve the back end of his schemes. He has a blue Rakshi head, a powerful Hyro Axe, and claws on his free hand. Is blue and black.

Seelkath: The leader of the Slavedrivers, Seelkath has a primal and deadly appearance, and would sooner eat you than shake hands with you. He wears real basic and brown armor, carries a shock spear (a spear that has a chain attached to it and, in the story, will shock people with lightning), and has a light-brown Rakshi head.

Rakhurst: (Didn't mention him earlier), once a Toa, though imprisoned and later captured by Makuta after doing a terrible crime. Rakhurst is a former Toa of Fire that is the Slavedriver of Ta-Makuta. He carries a Zamor Rifle and a Staff of Command. Wears a Mask of Invisibility.

Thokros: Not much is known about Thokros, because he'd kill you if you ever learned more about his past. (Uh-oh...HRRK! He's got me!!!) Picture a very pimped-up version of Thok. He carries a powerful Ice axe (Nuju Hordika's weapons combined together to make an axe), and a Zamor pistol.

Okay, that's it as far as that's considered. Me out!

-Kerian


	5. Chapter 5: Intervention

**Power of the Cordakah, Chapter 5**

Torak couldn't believe his eyes. Directly in the center of the field was a glowing mask of power. It was a red mask, with silver highlights on the sides. Its glow radiated through the arena, seemingly causing a hush and a pause within the arena and the stands.

Suddenly, Thokros broke the silence. He brought up his axe-blade and charged at Torak, roaring a mighty war cry as he did.

Torak managed to dodge just in time. Thokros brought his blade down, the teeth of the giant axe catching the rock, causing the metal butchery tool to become stuck fast.

Quickly, Torak ran as fast as he could to the mask, as if the mask was calling for him, beckoning him to grab it. Thokros watched in horror as Torak raced over to the center of the arena to pick up the mask. Thokros tugged harder and harder at his blade, causing the rock holding it to crack dangerously.

Finally, Thokros managed to break free. In one swift movement, he brought his axe in an upward position, and hurled it at the fleeing Toa. Torak could do only one thing to avoid the deadly blade as it came hurtling towards him with lightning speed; He reached down, and put on the mask.

Instantly, time seemed to stand still. Torak felt an extreme wave of heat coursing through his veins, growing hotter and hotter until he steadily felt as if he housed an inferno of power within his body. This power seemed to purge his body of the darkness that was used to create his false Toa body, and began to form a new one right before his very eyes. His broadsword that was given to him by the Slavedrivers began to form into a weapon of immense power, and a shield began to form in his left hand.

Suddenly, when his body stopped forming he heard a distant voice, calling out his name.

"Torak," it whispered, "Torak, destiny has chosen you. You must rid this evil that controls this island once and for all, and do what destiny has required you to do. You are now what you were always meant to be. Rise, Toa Torak, leader of the Cordakah."

Time started again, and it did so with a bang. A tremendous explosion rocked the arena, and soaked the battlefield in flames. Thokros got knocked backwards, his eyes wide with disbelief at what he just saw. However, he was quick to recover, even when a ton of flames hits him dead on and nearly scorched his body. It was a good thing that he had a heat shield attached to his new armor.

As Thokros got up, a strange figure stood in the middle of the ring. The figure held a sword of red-hot metal, a blade that seemed to be almost made of pure fire! In the other hand, he held a gun that looked as if it could take out a charging Muaka in one blow. The figure's mask glowed like a silver-red flame, its radiance flowing throughout the arena. It almost made Thokros feel the one thing that he never knew could exist in his own mind; fear!

Thokros gazed up at the figure as the heat began to die down. "Who are you?" Thokros asked, almost dreading to think that he might already know the answer.

The figure swung up his sword in reply; the sword sent out a geyser of flame that shot up into the sky and beyond as he said, "I am Torak, Toa Cordakah!"

* * *

Similar changes happened to the other six who were originally doomed to die from punishment for resisting the Brotherhood here on Makuta Nui. Lekka found himself with a pair of basket-hilt swords and the capability of flight, which he clearly demonstrated against Rakhurst, the Toa-like Slavedriver of Ta-Makuta. Nurri found himself with a spear that could cause tremendous earthquakes and a shield that could defend against a falling mountain! Kiran found himself with a pair of climbing tools that added as a flying device, both of which could shatter stone and cause huge tombs of rock to fall on his foes! Galah discovered that she had a set of axes that she could use to send tidal waves on her foes in a desert! And Sentik discovered that he had a sword that could freeze his opponents with a glance, and that his shield could defend from a falling avalanche!

The six friends were quick to make their retreat. As they did so, Nurri noticed that the slaves seemed to be cheering them on, as if the presence of Toa crushed the fear of the Slavedrivers long enough for the matoran to realize that the true heroes had finally arrived!

Torak led the way to the sewers, which was no easy task with the extra lower-rank Slavedrivers, Varuk Guard dogs, and the occasionally squadron of Vahki. Soon they were inside, but they knew they weren't out of the woods yet. Seeing as the Slavedrivers discovered the secret base of the resistance, the six Toa had to regroup to a different spot.

Torak chose the center pipes, a massive group of seven-story wide pipes used for sewage and litter transport between the massive plateaus. It also was the most unsolvable labyrinth in the history of Makuta Nui, with passages that change by the hour depending on the need for the waste to be transported.

Torak reasoned that this was the perfect place to hide. Besides, who in their right minds would think that Toa could be found deep within this disgusting place?

Zyglak, that's what.

The six friends had been fighting them ever since they arrived in the central sewer lines. The dark, twisted bodies of the deadly Rahi-like monsters littered the entire shaft, leaving a trail for other Zyglak to follow. Without a place to hide, the six Toa knew that they were in danger not only from being eaten alive, but for the Vahki squadrons that would be coming around and following the trail of dead Zyglak until they reach their destination.

It was Lekka who was their saving grace. He quickly and speedily used his newfound powers to create an indoor cyclone that piled the Zyglak bodies into a temporary wall that kept the other Zyglak at bay. He almost overdid it and piled the bodies on top of the wave of Zyglak that was coming for them.

"How did you do that?" asked Torak in amazement.

"I have no idea," answered Lekka, "But it sure was quick-fun!"

"Hey, over here!" shouted Nurri. Everyone looked around to find Nurri's head sticking out of the ground where he was standing moments before. He waved his hand from the hole that he created in the floor. "Quickly, through here! I found a tunnel!" He shouted.

The others quickly dove in after the former resistance leader, and covered up the hole with as many things as they could before Torak used his fire powers to seal it off. They ran as quick as they could down the old tunnel before they stopped to catch their breath. Outside, the Zyglak circled the area, confused as to how fast their quarry got away, and without a scent too!

The six Toa quickly caught their breath back. Torak stared at his friends' new armor and forms. He could not help but gaze at the new weapons and masks that his friends had gained, when not too long ago all they really were was a group of matoran slaves, with nothing more than a few stolen tools for weapons. Now they were all transformed into these new bodies, their powers now greater than any of them had ever imagined.

"So," Kiran finally spoke up, after the six of them spent almost an hour staring at themselves and each other, "I guess that I'm the one who's going to ask the question that was on all of our minds just now; how could this have happened?"

Everyone shrugged almost at once. Torak then felt his mask in shock.

"It's got to be these masks!" he said without realizing, "Somehow, they must have purged the dark powers used to make our false-Toa bodies, and created us new ones!"

"Oh, is that how it happened?" asked Kiran sarcastically, "I thought it was a bit of magical pixie dust that did it!"

"Hey now," said Galah, "what's with all the sarcasm, Kiran? If you ask a question, you should accept the answer given to you, even if you already know it."

"Whatever," said Kiran.

"Not that talking isn't good for a couple of saved friends," said Nurri, "but we should be talking about a means of getting out of here, or at least about who's in charge."

At this comment the friends were silent. Most of them agreed that Nurri, as he was the former leader of the matoran resistance, should get a chance to lead the group and that they should choose a leader later on. However, two of their number disagreed.

"I think that I should be leader," said Torak.

"What?" asked Lekka in surprise.

"What makes you think that, Torak?" Galah asked the new Toa of Fire, "Nurri has a chance to be leader as equally as you do. Why should you alone be leader?"

"Because I was told that I should," Torak said, standing taller as he did so. The others were confused; none of them had been spoken too by a voice after they were transformed, or did they?

It was Sentik that finally stood up. "I believe you, Torak," he said, "because I heard the voice too."

"Well, that settles it," said Lekka, "we now have two loons in our group!"

One look from Nurri shut Lekka up.

"I know that this may sound strange," he said, "but I think that the masks that we own were once the masks of an ancient Toa group that had arrived to Makuta Nui long ago. If that's true than we may have become what we are now for a reason."

"Well, I never thought of it that way," Kiran said sarcastically.

Torak ignored him. There was no need for a fight among friends. "All that I'm saying is that there could be a good chance that their spirits are still inside mine, and possibly Sentik's. I say this because I heard a voice calling out my name during my transformation, and it spoke to me, telling me that we as a group must free this island from a terrifying and ancient evil, and to return this land to its rightful people. The voice said something more, but all that I could remember was that he called us the Toa Cordakah."

The group looked at each other puzzledly. Only Kiran stared back at Torak, his eyes wide with shock.

"I've heard legends about the Toa Cordakah before I was kidnapped years ago," he said aloud, the others looking at him intently, "They were supposed to be Mata Nui's bodyguards, his hands of justice when there was great need in the universe. They helped found the secret Order of Artahka before it disbanded years ago. They were said to have died in a blaze of glory, and that they would return during a time when Mata Nui was in great need."

Galah was the first to grasp the situation, "So, if we are the Toa Cordakah, then Mata Nui is in dire need of us!"

"Well, all of us know that he is asleep and needs to be awakened," said Nurri, "But everyone knows about the great cataclysm 1,000 years ago, right?"

"What, a great Cataclysm you say?" said Lekka sarcastically, "I never heard of such a thing in my life, although I do recall a big rumble in the ground a little ways off the coast of Metru Nui, and then a tidal wave the size of Mata Nui himself, but other than that nothing out of the ordinary."

"Your sarcastic remarks are starting to annoy me," said Sentik.

"What do you mean started?" asked Galah, a smile hidden behind her mask.

"Well, we already know that the job for Mata Nui's awakening is already covered," said Torak, "so I think the reason why we are needed is because of the Makuta here on the island. After all, it was the Makuta that put Mata Nui to sleep, so what better choice than to have his forces evicted from their own factory floor?"

Everyone agreed almost at once. Torak smiled inside; being a leader could be a little easier than he expected.

Finally, Sentik broke the silence. "Well, what are we all standing around here for?" he asked, "Let's get started!"

And so, the Toa Cordakahs' mission had begun.

**Kerian**: This chapter gets a bit confusing. I suppose part of it has to do with the fact that it took me several consecutive days to finish it due to my distraction with something else. Well, what we know now is that all six Matoran have turned into powerful Toa Cordakah, legendary warriors specifically charged with a mighty destiny. Now all they have to do is get out of controlled territory and get to the resistance before the Slavedrivers catch them.

Here's an inventory of the masks that each Toa Cordakah carries, so you have a general appearance idea...

Torak: Mask of Invisibility (Vakama Metru), with Silver highlights in the back.

Sentik: Mask of Rahi Control (Solek's Mask)

Nurri: Mask of Strength (Onua Mistika)

Lekka: Mask of Phase Changing (Tanma's Mask)

Kiran: Mask of Quick Travel (Toa Hagah Iruni)

Galah: Mask of Kindred (Hahli Mahri)

Since that is all taken care of, I'll get back to editing/writing more on this story. Until next time, me out!

-Kerian


	6. Chapter 6: Chase

**Power of the Cordakah, Chapter 6**

Torak led the group through the sewers of Makuta Nui. For an untold number of Millennia, the sewers had grown to a gigantic size, with gigantic pipes connecting all of the inhabited and uninhabited plateaus together, and tunnels going almost as far down as halfway down the plateaus' greatest length. The maze inside is greater than the Metru Nui archives and the Blade Burrower tunnels combined. The Sewers here, left alone for thousands of years, have become a popular means of punishment for slaves who became too old or too stupid for their own good, and they would usually be sent to wander into the deepest of the tunnels for hundreds of years, never to be seen again.

It was the perfect place for the resistance to have a headquarters.

Although no one person knew every part of the sewers, the resistance had over time since its founding made maps of all parts of the sewers using different individuals. Since then, a series of complicated maps of each floor were created and copied since the beginning of the resistance, although no-one had ever explored the lower levels in over thousands of years.

Nurri had made it a habit of his to memorize all that he could about the sewers, sometimes spending days if not weeks pouring over the ancient maps when he wasn't busy. Although he had looked at many of the maps and their updated copies, he still didn't know all of the sewers like he knew the back of his hand. Still, he knew well enough where they were and how to get to the resistance headquarters, so Torak let him lead.

"Are we there yet?" asked Lekka for the seventh time that hour, "I hate being underground. I'm a Toa of Air for Mata Nui's sake; I should be outside, soaring in the wind!"

"Sure, you can do that," replied Torak for the seventh time in that hour, "if you wish to get caught by Vahki, whipped like something from a Makuta's lair, and die a tortuous death; not to mention having your body become mutated and used for experiments for newly-created Rahi or worse. But hey, enjoy your time outside, by all means."

Lekka had gotten used to Torak's sarcasm by now; after all, they were best friends.

* * *

As they walked, they heard their steps echo on the floor of the sewer. Suddenly, the floor under Kiran gave way, and his entire leg slipped through a hold the size of his foot. He swore out of shock as Galah and Sentik quickly helped him up. All six Toa looked down into the hole, spotting the misty-green clouds of the wasteland about 5,000 feet down. One wrong step and they all could be goners.

"Well," mumbled Lekka, "I'm not one who's afraid of heights, but I guess even a Toa of Air has his altitude limits."

"We must be in one of the sewer pipes," said Nurri, his eyes now gazing across the tunnel. "At least 700,000 years back, the Brotherhood had decided that the sewer system was just too worthless to repair, and so deemed the area restricted for all but the most authorized of Slavedrivers. Since then, nobody but doomed slaves have been down here, so there are whole sections where spots have caved in or have hollowed out beneath the floors. We should watch our every step from here on out."

"Gee, thanks for the assurance of our safety," Kiran sarcastically remarked.

The six Toa ventured onward. Torak and the others kept a wary eye out for pot-holes or areas in the floor that could lead to deadfalls below. As he looked around, he suddenly heard a noise outside that sounded like a rustling of wings and the sound of several small jet engines.

To his horror, he realized what those sounds were. Only two things in all of Makuta Nui could make those kinds of noises, and their jobs were to capture and torture slaves…

Vahki were one of the two on that list.

Notorious as a police force for Metru Nui, the Brotherhood of the Makuta managed to get a hold of the blueprints for the Vahki from Po-Metru, and reprogrammed them to become a force meant to wipe out any resistance, and to return matoran slaves to their drivers.

The other was a name too feared to be even thought of by any slave; the Karakash. The Karakash are what's considered to be the mistake of the inventor's mind. Used by combining the parts from Visorak, Bohrok, Rakshi, Vahki, and an all manner of evil machines, and using the blueprints of the Krahli robot, the Karakash are the very definition of Artificial Intelligence of evil. Their upper body contains the shell of a Vohtarak, with arms designed from Rakshi parts and pincers strong as solid protodermis. Their insectoid-wings contain thrusters able to carry its heavy body plus any burden it carries. Its lower half has the rest of its body and its four legs, each designed to allow it to carry heavy loads and keep steady and swift speeds. If that wasn't enough, it has a rohtuka launcher that combines the spinners of an Oohnorak and a Vohtarak, numbing the foe and subduing it with paralyzing pain.

The Karakash have but one purpose; to subdue all escapees and either capture them or destroy them, and they are well known for the habit of the latter option.

"Everybody run," Torak whispers, still staring back from whence they came.

"Why?" asked Lekka, but Sentik silenced him.

"Don't ask questions that will get you killed later." He said in a whispered tone. And with that, the group ran.

* * *

Outside, a group of Karakash were landing on the walls of the gigantic sewer pipe. Their claws began frantically pulling off pieces of metal to get inside. Their protocol was clear; find the Toa, and eliminate them from the system.

Meanwhile, other Karakash moved their way to the other edge of the pipe. Their sharp, metallic jaws began slicing through the connector cables that kept the pipes in place. Their protocol was ever clearer. Destroy all structures containing resistance, all surrounding structures are expendable.

As the robots did their work, the massive pipe began to slowly lose its hold, creaking as the ancient constructs that kept it in place began to snap. All the while, oblivious to the danger to them, the pursuing robots continued following their protocol, pursuing the enemy until subdued and destroyed. To them, their own lives were expendable, nothing else mattered.

* * *

Torak kept the others moving as best as he could. He noticed that Kiran was acting strange, as if he was feeling something happening.

Suddenly, the eyes under his mask widened with shock. "Torak!" he shouted, "I can feel something happening. Something's causing the pipe to come apart!"

Torak kept running, glancing over to Nurri. "How much time will it take to destroy the support cables?"

"If it's Karakash, about ten minutes, give or take," Nurri said. "That just depends on how many there are. We've probably got five minutes to get there!"

"Then we'll get there in three!" Torak said, and put on an extra burst of speed. The others followed suit, quickening their pace to match their friend. Suddenly, there was an intense rustling sound, and a deafening series of metallic screeches and roars beyond the tunnel. Torak looked back, his eyes widened at the sight. Seven metallic creatures that looked like a cross between a stag beetle and a spider from hell appeared, their metallic legs scurrying quickly across the ground, their claws crushing anything that stood in front of them.

Torak took out the strange gun from the sheath on his back. Without changing pace, he turned himself around, running backwards all the while, and he aimed the gun at the nearest Karakash. He concentrated hard, and pulled the trigger.

A single blast erupted from the weapon. The single ball of flame-inducted lightning shot out from the gun towards the Karakash. The leader didn't even have time to react. Shot full in the face, the heat-shield of the Vohtarak was the only thing that kept its metallic brain from being cooked, but that was all that survived. Both its claws had crisped, and its mandibles had melted to slag, pouring all over the front of the robot and slowing it down.

The unlucky robot collided with the one behind, whose protocol-induced rampage tore apart the doomed Karakash. None of the other Karakash slowed their pace, continuing their programmed chase.

Sentik, noticing his friend, turned around and ran backwards, facing his weapon at the foes. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger, and six bolts of ice rapidly launched out of the weapon, one after another. The feet of another Karakash was frozen solid to the ground, and the doomed robot was run over and torn apart by its counterparts in their mad chase.

Lekka, far more agile, actually flew in the air as he fired his weapon. A projectile that looked like solidified air shot out of the gun, and another Karakash went down, its Visorak head in pieces.

Kiran's weapon was like Torak's. The projectile looked like a polished crystal made of light, and struck the next Karakash dead on, shattering it. Galah's weapon was like Lekka's, and yet another Karakash was subdued, its wiring fried by the blast of water it received. Nurri's weapon, like Sentik's, fired six bolts of earth at the next robot, sealing it in a cage of solid earthen material. The cage caused the floor underneath to cave in, and before the robot could react, cage and robot fell through the floor of the pipe, down the 5,000 foot drop below.

This left one final Karakash, and this one was ready. In the time that was taken for the other six robots to be subdued, it was busy charging the single Rohtuka spinner on its back. It stopped in place, and fired the newly charged spinner straight at the Cordakah. The spinner hit Lekka dead on, numbing him and surging his body with pain. The six Cordakah stopped to help their fallen friend, but the Karakash was right on top of them. By the time they would manage to defeat the powerful robot, the pipe would have already been cut, and they would be crashing down with a 50,000 ton construct of metal down a 5,000 foot drop into the wasteland below. None of them would survive.

But on Makuta Nui, one must remember to expect the unexpected.

The island is known of its strange Rahi; most of them were local species that were mutated by the wastelands below, or were introduced species that the Makuta had experimented on. Nevertheless, one of the only creatures that dares live as high up as the sewers on the plateaus is a creature called the Viso-Jaga.

The Viso-Jaga is a cousin of both the Visorak and the Nui-Jaga, as the name suggests. They are known for their big tempers, their bigger appetites, and their even bigger size. More importantly, they are very picky eaters. The only reason why their ancestors hunted other creatures at all was because of the metals in their bodies. Viso-Jaga have an obsession over the consumption of metal. They would do anything to get their hands on a pure metal, one that has been gently corroded, slickened with oil, and heated nicely by electricity.

This meant that a Karakrash in the sewers was a feast!

Suddenly, the wall to their left burst open. The unmistakable Oohnorak-like head of a Viso-Jaga burst from the wall, followed closely by the gigantic pincers, body, and tremendous tail. The pincers, large enough to pass as Visorak mandibles, closed in on the Karakash, snagging it as cleanly as a matoran swiping cookies. The Karakash fought back, using its claws and its gigantic mandibles to attempt to wrench the pincers off, but the Viso-Jaga had the robot in its death-grip, its tail slowly rising, the stinger gleaming as if it was begging to penetrate the metal body of its victim and deliver its payload. With a hiss-snap, the tail struck, sending 190,000 volts of electricity into the Karakash's metallic body. Whatever circuitry that didn't melt overloaded instantly, completely disemboweling the robot.

The Viso-Jaga, triumphant of its kill, removed its stinger and gently pulled its prey into a tight corner where it would feast to its leisure.

The Cordakah, still dazed at the sight that had passed before their eyes, quickly came to when a loud creak could be heard on the other side of the pipe. Without a word the six kept running, Torak and Kiran helping the still-numbed Lekka as they ran as fast as they could to the other plateau.

The six of them just barely managed to touch solid earth when a gigantic crack could be heard on the other side of the pipe. A heavy metallic groan shot out from the entire pipe, and the end of the pipe that the six Toa were standing on moments before broke off from the mainland. The pipe, all 50,000 tons of metal and solid protodermis, slipped away as silently as the wind. The Toa Cordakah gazed at the empty space between them and the other plateau, and for an entire minute, there wasn't a sound, until suddenly there came a mighty "CRASH!!!" and a tremendous tremor in the earth came after, followed by a cloud of dust that shot upwards and into the sky.

The Toa glanced at the maelstrom of dust and smoke, then gazed at each other, and then fell about laughing for no reason at all. The fact was, the six of them had just won their first battle together as a group, and met their first ever rush with danger as Toa, and they could have died a horrible death, and just the though of beating all of the odds and getting out with only minor injuries made them feel so good that there was nothing else they could do.

It was Nurri that broke the laughing party. Wisely, he noticed the cloud of dust had been settling, and a gigantic cloud of it was protecting them from the watchful eyes of the Karakash. If they waited much longer, that protection would fade, and they would be sitting ducks.

"Torak," he said, "I think we should get moving while the Karakash don't know we're here."

Torak quickly got up, his face serious. "Right," he said, "Lekka, can you get up?"

"I think so," said Lekka, his knees wobbling as he picked himself up, "That was the first time I ever go the business end of one of those, although I was threatened by those things a lot as a slave."

"Then we'd better get moving while we're covered," said Torak. And with that, the six Toa Cordakah continued their journey.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the six Toa Cordakah, or the Brotherhood of the Makuta, the current lord of Makuta Nui was brooding. His name was Tartarahk, a Skakdi of great size and power. It was hard to believe he could be a Skakdi, since he was at least a half taller, much more menacing, and that he was much more cunning and intelligent than any Skakdi could boast.

The fact was, he _was_ a Skakdi, but he was "lucky" enough to be on business when the Makuta known as Spiriah spread his island home with Makuta virus, causing them to devolve into the island's current state of savagery and war. Since then, he had been working for the Dark Hunters, and later for the Brotherhood, serving them well until he got to his current position.

Tartarahk, unlike many Skakdi, had lost the skin that allowed him to have a head-tail and connections to his arms. He had replaced it with a helmet of his design, one that gave him plenty of protection while still showing his pearly whites as clearly as the ocean's surface. His entire body was covered slackly with armor, although what he did have was very strong and covered their individual parts well. A Zamor launcher was attached to his left shoulder, allowing him to quickly dispell enemies from in front and behind, in case he was ever in battle.

The real pride of his person was a gigantic power-hammer that he carried in his clawed hands. The hammer was of his own design, one that drew its power directly from a power stone battery that will last him for at least a millennium. The hammer's head was large enough to sufficiently knock out a Muaka, and could smash through six feet of stone and protodermis with ease. At the tip of its head he attached a Rohtuka launcher that launched powerful gravity spinners that could allow him to call upon objects or repel them at will. He was also experimenting it to allow him to change projectiles, by either shooting Shadow spinners or Energy spinners, both of which were equally devastating.

Tartarahk was brooding for a reason. It was at least a thousand or more years since he had joined the Makuta. He had gained favor from many Makuta lieutenants, such as Antroz and Krika, and he even gained favor from Teridax himself, a feat that was hard to accomplish. It was hard to believe that a Skakdi like himself, a creature that should hate the Makuta as much as the Order of Mata Nui, would work so hard to gain so much favor from the Brotherhood.

That's because he hated the Brotherhood. Although he showed unswerving loyalty in the presence of a Makuta, he hated them as much as a Matoran would hate a Kinloka swarm; he can throw all he could at them, but without enough power all that he would be doing was driving the swarm into a feeding frenzy.

This is what he sought out; power. The power of his foes. It was what he worked so hard for; to gain the power of the Makuta and use this power against the enemies he had so longingly deceived. Any day now, he expected a high Makuta official to recognize his skill and knowledge, his passion for the Makuta, and tell him the secret of their power and how to achieve it.

So what was taking them so long?

It had been at least five hundred years ago since he last asked himself that question. Since that time, he had given up on his quest for the Makuta's power, and sought other means to achieve it. At least 250 standard years ago, as he and his slaves were digging in the mines, he found his answer in the form of a being long unexpected.

This being promised him power beyond all others; power that he could use to usurp the throne of the Makuta and continue their plans to conquer the universe, but it did not stop there. This being promised him such power that when combined with him they would conquer the cosmos, and their power would be unrivaled even by the Great Spirits. All he had to do was wait a little longer, and take orders from someone else, and all will pay off.

Tartarahk smiled. Just a little longer indeed. It had been at least 200 years or more since that fateful meeting, and still he got not many results. The only thing that he got was a recent promotion in the Brotherhood of the Makuta into becoming the lord of Makuta Nui. The job was originally given to Icarax, a Makuta whose ambition matched his power 100%. However, with Teridax out of commission, Icarax chose to take command of Destral, and his most trusted Lieutenant, Tartarahk, took over the factory floor of the Brotherhood. That was only a little while ago, and he still didn't hear word from his true master.

Suddenly, a bright yellow-green glow shimmered behind him. The glow touched all of the walls of the semi-empty throne room, shimmering it in beautiful light, yet the light gave chills to even the stone itself, which seemed to shudder and creak wherever a beam touched. A great evil had come, one possibly more powerful than the Brotherhood itself.

_Finally, he's back_, Tartarahk said to himself.

"_My servant,_" hissed a voice even a Zivon would cringe at, "_You have been busy, I see. Come, sit by this old one, and talk with me…_"

Tartarahk got up, and walked over to the shimmering light. He wisely knelt down to one knee, placed his hammer on the ground, and pounded his chest once with his left hand. He stayed like this for about a second or two, before replying to the strange glow.

"My master," he said in his deep, Skakdi voice, "I have waited long for your return to the living world. What is thy bidding?"

He looked up at the glowing light. The light came from a triangular stone that was made out of some strange, supernatural crystal. The crystal seemed beautiful, yet dark and horrible at the same time. Its glow reflected the evil within, an evil so dark it made the Makuta Teridax seem as good as the Toa of Light himself. Slowly, two red, glowing eyes opened up from within the essence inside of the crystal. The eyes stared at Tartarahk, making him sweat.

"_We have work to do_," it said.

**Kerian**: Ooh boy...the Toa Cordakah win their first ever battle, the sewers lose a tremendous chunk of pipe that accessed two different mighty plateaus on Makuta Nui, and we have just gotten a glimpse of the true lords of the mighty mega-island.

Since I am such a nice guy, I'll explain about the weapons being carried by our friends. It shouldn't take that long; not as long as explaining the six slavedrivers anyway.

Torak and Kiran: Midak Skyblasters (Elemental/Light-based)

Lekka and Galah: Nynrah Ghostblasters (Energized Air/Water)

Sentik and Nurri: Cordak Blasters (Equipped with Elemental Energy shots)

This is a much bigger chapter than the last ones. Each chapter, I've noticed, gets bigger than the last. I hope you guys enjoyed this one, because the next one is just as good, and the ones after that are even better! Until next time, me out!

-Kerian

P.S. Check out my profile for more information about my other stories as well as this one, plus the occasional promotional avatar change every now and then. Later!


	7. Chapter 7: Resistance

**Power of the Cordakah, Chapter 7**

Torak and the others walked through the labrynth that made up the sewers of Makuta Nui. It had been an hour since they met the Karakash, and thus far, save for a few Rahi, they didn't meet anything else on the road to the Resistance Headquarters. Since then, they had been attempting to discover the names of the weapons that they were given.

"Mine must be called the air blaster of justice!" said Lekka, rubbing his hand carefully on the strange mechanism of the gun.

"Your imagination is as big as your head, Lekka," said Nurri jokingly. He looked down at the weapon in his hand. "I recognize the design. I used to work at a plant on Xia before I was kidnapped. This is called a Cordak Blaster. Strange that it can fire elemental ammunition though."

"Mine must be that too," said Sentik. He gazed at the weapon in his hand. The gun was lightly steaming given the fact that he had set it off as a test run to ensure that their path wouldn't cave in on them. The weapon seemed to grin with the satisfaction of accomplishing its first task. Sentik put the tool in the sheath on his back, keeping it in easy grabbing range.

"What do you think mine is?" Torak asked Nurri. He held up the tool, its ends still hot from the battle before.

"That's what's called a Midak Skyblaster," said Nurri, "Their supposed to be able to fire concentrated light at an enemy, although I never seen one shoot fire or stone before. Strange that our weapons would act like this."

"What about mine?" asked Lekka eagerly. He held up the strangely designed weapon for Nurri to see, which was almost practically thrust in his face due to Lekka's eagerness.

"That," began Nurri as he pushed the weapon away from his face, "is a Nynrah Ghostblaster."

"Sounds like a great name for an equally great Toa!" said Lekka, "Is it supposed to blasts ghosts away? Because it can easily get rid of robots too!"

Nurri laughed. "No, it doesn't blast ghosts," said Nurri, "not that I know of anyway. The Nynrah Ghosts was the name given to the only Iron matoran in existence. They once designed weapons for the Brotherhood of the Makuta, but due to the programming incapabilities of the Fohrok, which they designed, the Brotherhood ordered the exermination of every Iron matoran involved. Those that survived, of which only two are known about, called themselves the Nynrah Ghosts, since Nynrah was their homeland. They work for very high wages, and the Ghostblaster was one of their latest achievements. Yours and Galah's are working just as expected; their supposed to fire elemental shots concentrated from a single source, like a Toa or a power pack."

Lekka stared at the tool with delight. He put it in the sheath on his back. Suddenly to his surprise, the sheath came to life on his shoulder and literally picked up the blaster. As if with a will of its own, it moved the blaster about, aiming it in random directions, while the laser light in its trigger pointed out potential targets. The five other Toa stepped back, while Lekka looked up at the Ghostblaster in shock and amazement. Suddenly, the gun righted itself, to the amazement of Lekka and the others. Lekka turned his head, and the gun turned with it.

"Talk about automatic weaponry" Lekka said, his gun tucking back into its spot on his back.

Torak and the others quickly looked on their backs for a similar installment, but only Nurri had the same kind of shoulder attachment.

"Lucky," said Kiran, his face enviously looking at his friends new "toys."

"Maybe there's a reason why they have shoulder-mounted weapons," said Galah. She reached back in her sheath, and felt for something behind her. Suddenly, her hand came out with a huge hydro axe. She felt it in her hand, then split it into two separate weapons. Here eyes gazed at the beautiful designs, letting it sit as if it was made for her hands.

The others did the same. Nurri pulled out a huge spear with a sword attached where the spear point would be, which explained why he had a shoulder-mounted Cordak Blaster. Sentik found a large ice sword, and a shield that he could attach his Cordak Blaster to. Kiran had an axe with a chain attached to the helm, ensuring he wouldn't be disarmed. Lekka found a pair of basket-hilted Katana, which explained why his weapon was mounted (you can't hold a Nynrah Ghostblaster if you already have a pair of basket hilt swords that you can't connect together).

Torak came last. His sword seemed like a simple weapon, except for the fact that it was big. He carried it easily with one hand, as if it was built for his strength levels. It felt light, yet was strong. He moved it about in the air, when all of a sudden it sparked. A flame produced in the small gap in the sword. He looked at it in surprise, then suddenly pointed the sword to the far wall and concentrated.

The sword ignited, and a jet of white-hot flames erupted from the blade. The stone wall was cooked, and what didn't melt would be scorched from hereafter.

The others gazed at him in amazement. They attempted to do the same as they continued their journey. Sentik used his powers of ice to make an ice bridge over a large section of path that had caved in long ago. Kiran used his powers to move some collapsed stone to act as pillars for a weak ceiling. Galah used her powers to clear away a path of debris and filth. Lekka used his powers to give the group of them fresh air while they were heading deeper into the sewers. Nurri also used his powers to collapse certain tunnels strategically since they could be potential rahi pens or traps for slaves that the Makuta had placed down there long ago.

* * *

A pair of eyes watched the six figures move through the maze. The eyes stealthfully followed the six outsiders as they tested their newfound powers.

_These aren't Makuta_, it thought as it saw the blue one clear away the debris, _but what creature can have powers such as these?_

The six outsiders passed a pathway with three dark ridges marking the walls inside. The creature stopped. It paused to let the outsiders get some distance, and then changed its appearance. Colors on its body flickered and twisted until a reptilian head could be seen in the gloom. The head, as black as night, was contrasted well with the rest of its body, which was a mixture of fiery oranges and midnight blacks.

The creature took out a simple staff. It tapped it three times on the floor, letting the sound echo with each rap. The noise would sound like a simple piece of rock falling from the ceiling to any other being, but to his kind, it was a signal that pierced the ears.

From within the passage, a white reptilian creature similar to himself poked its head out. It stared at its friend, and raised its small staff in acknowledgement. The black-orange creature raised his staff back. The white creature stealthfully continued following the outsiders. As it clung to the wall, its body suddenly changing color to match its surroundings. The once white reptile suddenly became just a shimmer in the wall, gone from all sight.

The orange-black creature did the same. In the lands of the Makuta, one must remain as invisible as the spirits themselves. He quickly sped down the path as silently as he could, only the tapping of his single toe-claw breaking the silence. Once he reached the hole where the gigantic sewer pipe once was, he began the long climb down. The creature had only one mission; to get down to the wastelands below.

_The Arbiter must know of the outsiders!_

* * *

The six Toa Cordakah continued their journey to the heart of the sewer complex. By now, they were far underneath the district of Onu-Makuta, a place where all of the Onu-matoran slaves of the Brotherhood of the Makuta are kept. Far below the city's districts, the Resistance had made its headquarters deep beneath the city. There were two reasons why: The first was because of the fact that the protodermis within the rocks surrounding the sewers play havoc with the sensors of the robotic squadrons that the Makuta employ; the second reason was because hundreds of species of deadly rahi have made nests amongst the catacombs of the sewers in the underground districts. This has also led to making this area the primary hunting grounds for the Viso-Jaga, a Karakash's worst enemy, or the Vahki Hunter, a gigantic humanoid monster that feasts upon Vahki parts.

As such, it was unlikely that any robot with half a mechanical mind would dare put its foot in this hole.

The six friends walked past the Viso-Jaga and Vahki Hunters that were kept on loose chains in the walls. The creatures hissed and growled, and sometimes a Viso-Jaga would take a snap at the tools that the Toa carried. The Toa ignored them, knowing that they were trained to attack the robots above, not other intruders.

The matoran, however, had other ideas. As they passed the rahi sentinels, an army of matoran suddenly appeared, each matoran armed with a kanoka-disk launcher, all of which were pointing at the six Toa.

The Toa stepped back, then Nurri stepped forward. Holding out his hands as a gesture of peace, his weapons visibly kept back in his sheath, he stepped forward. "Well now," he said, "this is a nice way to treat the leader of the Resistance, isn't it?"

The matoran stared confusedly at the Toa of Earth before them. Suddenly, they shouted for joy. The matoran lowered their guns and quickly surrounded the six of them, bombarding them with questions. It wasn't until Torak raised his hand that the questions stopped.

"First let's get some rest," he said, "after we've recovered from our adventures, we'll tell you all that had happened."

At least a night and a day went by before the Toa were well rested enough to start talking. After telling the Resistance leaders all that had happened to them and how they had become Toa. It was at that time that a council of war was called for. The six Toa, according to the council, would be an effective weapon against the Brotherhood; if they were truly the Toa Cordakah, as they claimed that they were, then the Resistance would be unstoppable. It was decided that during a week's time, the group of them would lead a full scale assault on the Fortress of Makuta Nui.

Many people agreed, although there were problems. A full scale assault would reveal the small size of the resistance. One matoran spoke out and stated that there could be a small percent chance that the brainwashed matoran would side with the Makuta and rally together against them. Torak stated that if that were the case, then the island would truly be lost, and that there was no cause to fight for. Silence greeted his remark, until the head council member took the decision to a vote. In the end, the majority vote was for the full scale assault option.

Torak and the others began training themselves immediately. Torak began to practice his control over fire, beginning to manipulate it through his hands instead of just his sword. Lekka used his wind powers to gracefully fly across ravines in the sewers, and create simple tornadoes using his powers over the air. Kiran used his powers to create great stone pillars to hold up the ceilings, while he played catch with a matoran who shot stone balls out of a zamor launcher from a distance. Galah used her powers to clean the water supply from its diseased state, while she used her powers to a greater extent to fill water throughout all the gaps in the sewers, creating entire walls of ever-moving water. Sentik used his powers to steadily freeze and unfreeze sections of the room he was staying in, and suddenly he would shoot out a bolt of ice that completely froze the air around him. Nurri would practice his capabilities with earth, although he mostly concentrated his time organizing the tacticians of the planned battle ahead.

Meanwhile, the matoran began assembling their ranks and preparing for an assault against the Makuta. Hundreds of matoran gathered together in the extended chambers of the sewers, lightstones held firmly in their hands. Matoran ranglers brought out salvaged robot Vahki and Karakash as bait to attract dozens of the monsterous rahi that make their homes in the sewers. The rahi, mainly a combination of Viso-Jaga, Vahki Hunters, and other such creatures, were herded to a series of gigantic cages with tunnels that connected throughout the island's sewer system. The rahi crawled, scuttered, and slithered through the vast network of Resistance tunnels, where they would be kept within individual species cages directly underneath the Makuta Fortress, where they would be kept safely for the night.

* * *

Watching the precedings without ever being seen, the white reptilian creature kept a wary eye out on the outsiders. _So they aren't Makuta_, it said to itself, keeping a safe distance away from resistance laborers who were busy moving heavy crates of Kanoka disks and Zamor spheres. Two particular that were nearby were carrying a huge crate of reactive, unfiltered protodermis. One of the two slipped and almost lost his grip, the heavy crate suddenly shifting and close to losing its deadly payload.

Taking care to not be seen, the creature extended his invisible staff and fires a stream of air underneath the crate, lifting the load enough so that the matoran could restablish their grip.

"Mata Nui, that was close!" one of them said.

"You've got that right," his partner replied, "one spill on either of us and we would look worse then a couple of Hordika!"

The reptile slowly slunk away, its invisibility paying well. These were good people, and they needed the protection. It was his job though to keep an eye on them and be sure that they would be ready for the time ahead. Quickly, he sped out of the way of the matoran, past the rahi guards, and beyond the reach of the ranglers.

He arrived to the gaping hole where the outsiders had first made contact with his partner. Quickly, he climbed down the 5,000 foot rock face of the plateau as fast as he dared, taking only minutes to get about 50 feet down. When he arrived, the outsiders and the resistance would be well into the battle, but he must tell his people that the time has come to be ready.

And the Arbiter must be summoned!

**Kerian**: The Toa Cordakah have returned to the Matoran Resistance, a plan to finally attack the Brotherhood's forces is under way, and a new player has just been discovered. Who are these mysterious creatures, and what is their "Arbiter?"

Not much to say about this chapter, except I forgot that it was a bit smaller than the other ones. The next two make up for it though, guaranteed. Sit tight now...the next chapter's edit is on the way! Me out!

-Kerian


	8. Chapter 8: Retaliation

**Power of the Cordakah, Chapter 8**

A day had passed since the decision was made for the assault of the Makuta Fortress. Torak, Nurri, and the other Toa led the matoran, former dark hunters, and the other denizens of Makuta Nui that hated the Makuta to the center plateau. Due to the pipe that had gone out when the Toa had their close encounter with the Karakash, the journey to the sewers underneath the Makuta Fortress would take at least 12 hours to get there, and that also depended on if they could get there swiftly and without notice of the Brotherhood's forces.

As they walked, Galah couldn't help but feel worried. Only a little more than three days ago they had been little more than matoran. Now they were Toa, their duties asked to be fulfilled by the matoran she loved as friends, yet somehow she felt that something was wrong, that something was amiss, but she couldn't figure out what.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a Po-Matoran came along, riding on the back of a tamed Viso-Jaga. Galah recognized him instantly as Nexus, the lead rangler of the Resistance. She looked away from him, pretending to ignore the visibly staring Po-matoran as he strode along on his insectoid steed.

"Well, as Mata Nui sleeps," Nexus said, his eyes not straying from Galah once, "so the rumors were true. You are a Toa! And to think I thought somebody was trying to see if my head was really full of rocks!"

"Good to see you too, Nexus," Galah replied, her eyes still staring straight ahead.

"Is that all you can say?" he asked, a tone of mocking stress in his voice, "Here, I learn that the one girl I like more than a friend on this cursed island becomes captured, disappears in the middle of an execution ceremony, and now standing before me a Toa, and all you can say is 'good to see you Nexus?'"

"You know, you're more annoying now that I can see above your head."

The Viso-Jaga clicked with insect-like laughter. Galah still was marveled that an insect of such strange origins could show sentience enough to laugh at a joke, regardless of who it was pointed towards.

Nexus looked down in annoyance at his steed. The Viso-Jaga, sensing the stare of its partner, ceased laughing and continued its journey down in the sewers. Galah kept staring ahead, although Nexus glanced back at the Toa of water.

"You know," he said as he rode beside her in the dank tunnels, "I once heard of a tale where two matoran were in love were separated and one of them became a Toa. Their love was so great, it worked out in the end."

"When did you hear this one?" she asked sarcastically, "Your maddening dreams?"

"Pretty much," Nexus said. He glanced back at the road, the two of them remaining silent as they walked behind the others in the resistance. Only a couple of Stone Rats and Fikou Spiders managed to disturb the silence between the two, the silent murmurs of the resistance becoming simple background noise.

"It never would have worked out," Galah finally said as the two of them walked through an arch in the tunnels.

Nexus remained silent. As they continued, only the silent chittering of the Viso-Jaga could be heard, its eyes keeping a close eye on the walls of the tunnel that they had just entered.

Nexus was about to say something when Galah's hand stopped him. "I never wanted a relationship like the one you ask with you, but could we have one anyway, as friends?"

Nexus smiled from behind his mask. He outstretched his arm, his hand balled into a fist. "That's the least that I can ask for," he said.

Galah reached out and lightly tapped her fist with his, a gesture of friendship.

The Viso-Jaga similarly smiled, at least the best that it could with pincers for a mouth; it sensed the happiness of the two, and enjoyed basking in its warmth.

* * *

Behind them, past the other resistance members, a green reptilian head watched them go. The owner of the head kept track of where they were going, and at what point on their journey they were on. He lightly rapped its staff on a pipe extending beyond the tunnels. On the receiving end, another one of his kind would receive the coded message, then deliver it to the fellows below.

The green reptile quickly crawled his way through a hole in the tunnel wall. The tight squeeze almost choked the creature, but he managed to get through on the other side of the wall. A single ledge on the pipe was all that separated him from the air and the ground 5,000 feet below. He quickly put on a jetpack he had hidden there earlier, turned the makeshift device on, and silently took off. As he got into the air, he quickly turned himself invisible in the sky, his jetpack fading away with him. An invisible "shadow," and the light hum of his jetpack was all that stated that he even existed. As speedily as he dared, he dove to the wasteland below, leaving the remaining duties of watching the resistance to his brothers and sister.

A battle was soon to begin.

* * *

It wasn't until the sun began to set that the Resistance managed to arrive to the center plateau. Kept silent by their own power, the Rahi that had been captured by the ranglers were all gathered into several gigantic chambers, all contained within a gigantic cage of protodermis. Although it kept the wild Viso-Jaga and Vahki Hunters in line, these cages received a number from the Catapult Scorpions. Since Catapult Scorpions feed on solid protodermis, the cages would be no match for the mighty Rahi. It was only the quick thinking of Kiran, Nurri, and Sentik that stopped the scorpions from escaping and attacking the matoran. Quickly, the three of them used their newfound powers to make gigantic pillars of stone, ice, and earth. By interconnecting the pillars, they managed to create a very suitable container for the Rahi, keeping them penned up inside before they could do any more damage.

Torak got most of the matoran into groups; dozens upon dozens of matoran, Skakdi, former Dark Hunters and other such creatures were grouped together to form the waves of soldiers that was to attack the fortress.

Galah, with her powers of water, set about on her task; she began collecting all of the free-flowing waters of the surrounding sewers, and using her powers she caused waves of the stuff to flow inside a gigantic stone basin in the center of the chambers. The basin was directly below the Makuta Fortress and its grand audience chamber.

As Galah did her duties, Lekka organized himself a group of aerial fighters, mostly matoran with steeds that could fly like Gukko birds, but there were also a number of other creatures such as Dark Hunters and an all manner of strange "intelligent" Rahi that were mistakes made by the Makuta. The result was a large, rather mixed air force suitable for the attack that would take place later that night.

As the procedures took place, one of the council members, Haron, stood and surveyed the armies as they mobilized in the great chamber of the Fortress' sewers. Nurri, finished with a cage full of rampaging Catapult Scorpions, came up and stood beside the old matoran.

"If only Teros were here to see this," Haron said, his eyes looking amongst the mobiled force.

"How many troops do we have?" Nurri asked, tucking his Earth Spear into the sheath on his back.

"2,000 strong at least," said Haron, "that is, as far as the matoran are considered. I had managed to get a random head count of the Skakdi, the Dark Hunters, and the sentient Rahi, and added them up to an estimate total of 560. This doesn't even count how many Rahi that are being kept in the cages for the fight above."

Nurri looked down at the matoran, his eyes sincere. "How much does that give us?"

The old Matoran stared up at the leader of the Resistance, his eyes filled with sadness. "Not enough to take out a Bohrok Swarm," he replied, "let alone attack a Fortress filled to the brim with Makuta, Slavedrivers, and robots from Karzahni. I feel that we have made a mistake on calling on this assault."

"It's too late to turn away now, brother," said Nurri as he glanced back at the assembled force before them. Haron looked up at the ceiling; in a little less than a few more hours, they would all be up there now, fighting for the freedom of hundreds of enslaved Matoran; Matoran that have been kept here for far too long.

"May Mata Nui protect us, brother," Haron said.

Nurri looked down at the matoran, and smiled.

* * *

The hour had come. Late into the night, the matoran quickly climbed up to the final floor above, the part of the sewers where the ground met the upper crust. Earlier, Resistance members had caused a distraction on each of the six districts, causing the Slavedrivers to lock up the matoran to their stations. As such, no innocent matoran was near the Makuta Fortress; only robots, occasional high-ranking Slavedrivers, and a Makuta or two roamed the grounds.

The ideal time for a strike.

Matoran above quickly took out the guards at the main sewer gates using silencer disks and paralysis Rohtuka spinners. The two Skakdi guards fell without a sound, their screams muffled by the disks, while their bodies unable to move with painful shockwaves throughout their bodies. The Matoran quickly made their way to the sewer gates, and charged.

A massive roar erupted from the mouth of the gates as the matoran attacked the courtyard of the fortress in full force. Slavedrivers and Makuta alike were caught off guard as hundreds of angry matoran, along with their Skakdi and Dark Hunter allies, attacked from beneath the fortress.

Not all of the guards were quite as dumbstruck. One of them managed to sound the alarm. As soon as the klaxon was heard, at least a thousand or more robots, Vahki and Karakash alike, were activated from their power chambers. One by one, squadrons of the deadly machines began flying out of the fortress. However, as they flew, they encountered the two hundred or so matoran and Dark Hunters that made up the air force. Flying amongst them was Lekka, his basket-hilted katana carrying him through the air. He used his powers of wind to help lift his body, and as he did so, he summoned a tornado in the center of the oncoming flyers, tearing the robots to pieces and scattering the parts everywhere.

Hundreds more robots began walking their way to the army of matoran, but many never made it. As they marched through the courtyard, entire sections of the floor began to shatter as hundreds of hungry Vahki Hunters and Viso-Jaga began attacking the seemingly helpless mechanical constructs. One by one, whole squadrons of Vahki and Karakash became swamped over by the monstrous Rahi. Those that did managed to make it were crushed by the earth, stone, and ice powers of Nurri, Kiran, and Sentik, and others who weren't quite as lucky were taken apart alive by the waves of Matoran and Skakdi that followed.

Torak was in the heart of the action. He was fighting sword on sword with several Makuta, his blade matching theirs strike for strike. As the battle went on, he managed to take one down by slicing its armor, causing the Makuta's antidermis to dissipate. A second one went down as Torak fired his Midak Skyblaster, the armor on the Makuta having a hole melted through him. Torak finished off the last of them by melting the floor beneath their feet, causing them to fall to the water-filled basin below.

Torak turned around to see if he could help Sentik, who was locked in one on one combat with Kiro, the Slavedriver of Onu-Makuta. Suddenly, a weird sensation began to fill him, as if time was slowing down. As he moved, the world around him seemed to go into slow motion. Suddenly a voice went off in side of his head. The voice was feminine, and somehow familiar.

"_Move right, Torak_," the voice said calmly, yet with urgency, "_Move right!_"

Torak obeyed the voice, suddenly, moments after he moved, a giant, white axe flew by right where he was standing. The axe, as if having a mind of its own, twisted around in mid-flight, taking out a Dark Hunter as it did so. Torak ducked just in time as the axe whizzed past where his neck had been, seemingly in the knowledge that it knew where its target was. Torak watched as the axe re-attached itself to the hand of Thokros, his lifelong enemy.

"Long time no see," Thokros hissed, bringing his axe down on Torak.

Torak only managed to move just in time, the axe coming down and slicing through the courtyard floor only a second after he managed to dodge it. "Your aim has been getting sloppy, Slavedriver," Torak said, standing straight up in a battle stance. Torak's sword was pointing at the Slavedriver, a trickle of power feeding the energies that made the sword glow in bright flames.

"Why don't we finish what we started earlier," Torak said, his eyes fixed on the Skakdi of ice.

Thokros licked the blade of his axe, the blades on the weapon glowing an icy-blue. "Do lets," he said, then charged at the Toa of Fire.

Torak's blade came up as the axe came down. Sparks filled the air as the two weapons collided. Torak and Thokros fought each other in an all out duel, neither giving the other quarter. Each made their turns attacking and parrying each other's moves, Torak focusing on the speed and agility of his lightweight weapon, while Thokros focusing on the heavy power of his blade, slashing wildly with each strike. Torak only just managed to parry each blow inflicted by the Slavedriver, while his own blade managed to do its part as it struck out at the Skakdi. Thokros only managed to push each blow aside as Torak struck and struck, each attack faster or more powerful than the next. Torak's sword glowed feverishly with heat as it struck the axe blow by blow, as if the sword was driven crazy with the lust for battle. Torak fed that lust with each blow to Thokros, attacking with a passion he never knew.

Finally, both Slavedriver and Toa came to a standoff. Driving sword and axe against each other, they leaned in closely, pushing their weapons with all their might. Thokros grinned wildly at Torak, his eyes blazing with a crazed battle look.

"I'll make sure your death is long and slow," said Thokros, "And I'll keep your sword and mask as trophies. Wouldn't you like that?"

"Believe me, Skakdi," said Torak, his eyes glowing with power, "The Toa that you took that axe from was the last Toa you ever destroyed!"

A surge of power shot through Torak. His sword sprouted red and orange flames, glowing with the heat. Thokros began sweating as the sword's heat got to him. Suddenly, before his very eyes, the ground beneath him began to melt, until a gaping hole was at his very feet!

Torak took a quick step backward. That was all that was needed for the Skakdi to lose his balance. Thokros made a scream like an animal as he plunged to the water-filled basin below. Torak walked away, his vengeance taken, and continued with his part in the battle.

* * *

The other Toa shared similar experiences with the Slavedrivers, delivering harsh beatings to them in the battle. It seemed that Galah was missing from the fight, having been told to remain downstairs with the council members for the next phase of the plan. As the five Toa Cordakah ran through the Makuta Fortress, giant Catapult Scorpions busily fed on the structure, feasting on the solid protodermis that made up the Fortress' insides. When a Vahki or Karakash squadron attempted to interfere, they were smashed to pieces as the Catapult Scorpions fired their missile-like defense system from their stingers.

As the Toa ran inside, slowly the Matoran, Skakdi, and Dark Hunters accompanying them began to wander away as they fought against the squadrons of Slavedrivers and robots that opposed them. When the Toa did finally make it to their destination, the Grand Audience Chamber, they were the only ones at the door. The five of them managed to break open the door, and the Toa Cordakah stepped inside.

The Grand Audience Chamber had all of the awe inspiring structure any Audience Chamber would have. Having a ceiling that reached almost to the top of the Fortress, the chamber was gargantuan, with gargoyles and other such decorations occupying every corner of the structure. Lightstones and torches occupied spaces in the walls, and a single gigantic lightstone hung dimly from a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the dim light giving an eerie, almost unreal display of light and darkness, the gloom reaching even into the hearts of the Toa. Only one of great evil would enjoy a place such as this, something that could only be expected by the Toa.

That evil was about to show his face.

Facing one of the many windows of the fortress was a Skakdi, or at least that's what Torak thought he looked like. He was very tall for a Skakdi, at least a head and a shoulder taller. His physique matched that of an Ash Bear, and he had large, clawed hands. Unlike most Skakdi, however, he did not have a headtail. Instead, his head was covered by a large, metallic helmet. He lacked sufficient armor, having strong plates covering areas in the arms, legs, and back, but his muscular body indicated that he could take out a lot of punishment even without the armor. On his shoulder was a shoulder-mounted Zamor launcher, and in his right hand he carried a massive hammer.

The Skakdi, without turning, acknowledged the Toas' presence. "Welcome, my fine foes," he said, "I have been waiting for you for some time now. Make yourselves at home, by all means."

The Toa were confused. Usually a Skakdi would hiss or make a comment of insulting measures right about now, but this Skakdi was surprisingly calm, almost charming, as if it lost the savagery that made its race so terrifying. However, the five of them quickly dismissed it as some sort of trick, and brought themselves into a battle stance.

"Where is Icarax?" asked Torak angrily, his sword pointed at the behemoth of a Skakdi, "Tell us quickly and your pitiful life will be spared."

The Skakdi chuckled, seemingly amused at Torak's antics. "Icarax is not here," it said, now turning to face the Toa. The Skakdi's eyes could barely be seen behind its mask, "He hasn't been here for the past few months now. Leadership difficulties. You understand, do you not?"

Torak and the others were now really confused. He looked at Lekka and Kiran. They shrugged, indicating that they shared similar thoughts. He looked at Nurri and Sentik. Both of them were looking at the Skakdi as if he came from another planet. Torak turned back to the tall villain, business on his face.

"I'm warning you," he said, his Midak Skyblaster aimed at the Skakdi's head, "If Icarax is gone, who is in charge here? Give us an answer we want and we might loan you a used raft to get you back to your home on Zakaz."

Now this time, the Skakdi laughed. The sound didn't sound like a Skakdi at all. Instead of the cackling laughter, followed by the hissing growls that made them so savage, the laugh this one made sounded more like something that came out of a nightmare; a deep laugh that was tainted with an evil voice, as if the creature it belonged to was possessed by a Makuta. This made Torak question exactly what it was he was facing.

"Why, he stands right before you Toa," said the Skakdi when he had control of himself, "or does that seem hard to believe that a Skakdi would rule a place controlled by the Makuta? I'll just simply say that I have friends in very high, and very low, places."

"Then if that's the case," said Kiran, his Midak Skyblaster pointing at the Skakdi's barrel-shaped chest, "You wouldn't mind telling us your name so we can put it on your tombstone?"

The Skakdi made a short laugh in the back of his throat, and then suddenly lifted his hammer. A blast of concentrated power in the form of a Rohtuka Spinner fired from it, hitting the Skyblaster dead on, tossing it away like a kohli ball. The blaster collided with the wall, on the far end of the room, the blast having knocked it from Kiran's hand at least a hundred feet away.

"My name is Tartarahk," said the giant Skakdi, his hammer raised in his hand, "and I am your worst nightmare."

The battle was fierce. Although the Toa did their best to defeat the mighty Skakdi, Tartarahk was just too strong and powerful for the five of them. One by one, each of them were knocked backwards, even as they tried using their elemental powers. Tartarahk countered each attack with one of his own, using his hammer's different powers to wipe out the Toa. The battle was on for only ten minutes, and yet, when it was over, the five Toa Cordakah were exhausted. They were on the floor, attempting to get up. Torak had managed to get himself upright when Tartarahk's foot came down on his chest, pressing him back on the ground. Torak tried to reach for his sword, attempting to get the Skakdi off of him, but Tartarahk was too strong for him. The Skakdi's hand reached down as Torak struggled to get free.

"Now let's just see what's behind that mask…" Tartarahk said as he grabbed the Toa of Fire's mask and yanked hard. Torak watched in horror as his powers stripped away from him, transforming him back into the False Toa he started out as.

Tartarahk took one look at the form that he was standing on, and then laughed; almost uncontrollably. Finding the whole event very amusing, he laughed so hard that he dropped the mask of power back on the ground. Torak managed to grab it before the Skakdi realized what happened, and prepared himself for the worst.

When Tartarahk finally got control of himself, he leered at Torak. "You are no Toa!" He said, his hands still clutching his chest which was heavy with laughter, "You are merely those slaves that managed to escape during the anniversary ceremony! And here I thought the real Toa Cordakah have risen from the dead. There is one thing I have noticed…where is the sixth one?"

Torak quickly put his mask back on. A surge of power rushed into him, creating an explosion of flames throughout the chamber. The explosion knocked Tartarahk backwards, almost causing him to fall over. The explosion of power brought Torak back to his Cordakah form, allowing him to stand up once again. In a flash, he grabbed his Midak Skyblaster from across the room, and aimed it at Tartarahk

Torak pointed his sword at Tartarahk, eyes burning with red flames. "If you wish to know where she is," he said, "You are about to find out!"

Torak pointed the Midak Skyblaster to the Skakdi's feat and fired it into the ground, opening a hole underneath. The hole revealed the basin below that was filled with water. Galah was at the lip of the basin when she saw the glowing hole on the ceiling above her. She concentrated all of her powers, and focused on the water in the basin. Suddenly, the sewers began to rumble. A gigantic roar that could be heard for miles came up as she began to use all her power to send the water up and out of the basin, causing it to launch up to the fortress above. At least 100 million gallons of water shot up out of the basin as a geyser with the force of a meteor falling to earth.

* * *

Thokros looked around. It was a miracle that he actually survived the fall. No, he realized he didn't exactly survive the fall; it seems that the fall wasn't complete. Somehow he had managed to drive his axe into the ceiling just before he took the plunge below to the 100-foot deep basin full of water. He awakened to a sound that sounded almost like a Tahtorak being driven crazy. He made a big mistake by looking down. A gigantic pillar of water was shooting upwards at incredible speeds from at least 200 feet down. The maelstrom was flying upwards at such speeds that when it collided with the ceiling above, it would destroy much of the fortress.

Thokros quickly took action. He managed to pull his axe out of the spot of the ceiling on the wall, and plunged down. He managed to land straight on top of the maelstrom, feeling the geyser push him upwards. Quickly, he swam straight through it, attempting to get further and further downwards. As he did so, he saw a Toa of Water glide up the geyser, her eyes full of concentration. Thokros ignored her, his own life put ahead of him. He felt the rumble of the water colliding with the ceiling above, and let himself be taken back up. The force of the water drove him back out of the hole that he fell through, and he landed unceremoniously on the ground above.

_Well, that was embarrassing_, he thought. With that, he quickly sped away from the battleground.

* * *

The fortress buckled when the water hit it. The Toa Cordakah held their ground as the fortress slowly began to fall apart at its foundations. Torak looked up at his enemy; to his surprise, Tartarahk was surprisingly calm; in fact, he was smiling!

Galah managed to come out of the hole that Torak made in the floor. Behind her, a rush of water shot out into the Fortress. Galah rushed to her companions, checking to see if they all were alright.

Suddenly, an eerie glow filled the room with bright yellow light. The light seemed as if it was made from something ancient, and it filled the room with its glow, yet each ray seemed to fill the walls with a darker gloom than the room was before. A strange crystal appeared from behind Tartarahk, a strange substance glowing from within the strange object. It gave out a great burst of evil green light from within its haunches. Suddenly, the water evaporated in a puff of smoke, and the fortress righted itself. Below, the basin that was once full of water collapsed into the mines below.

Tartarahk smiled. The Toa Cordakah all stared in shock; in just moments, when their plan was about to succeed, it failed miserably from some unseen force.

"Your friends outside are in greater trouble than they believe," said Tartarahk, his eyes gazed on the six of them, "You have brought the resistance out of hiding, something that I had expected to happen. As such, all of my Vahki and Karakash hordes have been noted. As of now, I am launching my own full scale assault; one that the will crush this resistance the same way that I will crush you!"

The crystal glowed green. A ray of light hit Tartarahk, causing his body to glow with black and green light. Smoke came from within his body, and his hammer glowed with power. The crystal then muttered something, "_I give you the power of a servant that was true to word, and he shall destroy you as your screams go unheard!_"

Tartarahk roared, showing his true Skakdi heritage. His mind was transformed into an instrument of terrifying power, his body turning into that of a raging beast. His eyes glowed with red shadow, and his claws gripped his hammer tightly. He was now a monster!

Taratarahk attacked the Cordakah in full force. The Cordakah were quick to dodge his hammer. His hammer shook the ground with each blow that missed the Toa, causing that area to cave in to the ground. Zamors from his launcher and Rohtuka Spinners from his hammer collided with the walls of the Grand Audience Chamber.

"It's no use!" Sentik shouted as a round of Cordak projectiles glanced off of Tartarahk's armor, "He's too strong for us!"

"Run!" Torak shouted as Tartarahk roared. The Cordakah needed no second bidding. As they ran, the Toa saw the carnage that had passed during the battle. Bodies of robots, resistance, and Rahi alike littered the floors. The wild Rahi that survived had managed to crawl back into the sewers when the pillar of water hit, while the Resistance members that survived wisely ran away from the fortress.

As the Toa Cordakah arrived outside, the moonlit sky was blotted out on one side by a cloud of Vahki and Karakash, the millions of robots ready to destroy all resistance. The Toa kept running to the Sewer gates, but were downtrodden as the gate collapsed, most of the last of the surviving resistance members miraculously on the other side.

Kiran pointed out a door that hadn't caved in, and the six Toa quickly sped towards it. Galah, who was in the back, tripped over the outstretched body of a Vahki. As she fell, Tartarahk quickly sped towards her in a rampaging madness.

"Galah! No!!!"

A huge, insect-like body managed to get between Galah and the rampaging Skakdi. Nexus and his steed managed to get to get in front of Galah just before the Skakdi would rip her to pieces. The Viso-Jaga, sensing the Toa's distress, quickly knocked her back to the other Toa with its stinger, as it got its pincers in a battle stance against the lord of the island.

"Nexus, run!" Galah shouted at her friend.

"Not a chance Galah," Nexus shouted back, "Get out of here while you still have a chance!"

Nexus couldn't say any more, because Tartarahk managed to launch a Rohtuka spinner of shadow at him and his Viso-Jaga. The two of them were hit so hard that they were shot out over the walls of the fortress, and right over the plateau.

Galah felt a tear fall from her eye as she ran to the door. Another Rohtuka barely missed her head by an inch, and collided into the wall, disintegrating the spot.

The six Toa just barely got through the door before it collapsed. To their horror, the only thing it led to was a ledge on the plateau! Torak and the others turned around as Tartarahk managed to blast himself through. One of the Rohtuka Spinners he launched caught the ground just in front of Kiran, shooting him into the air and over the ledge!

"Kiran, no!" Nurri shouted, as their friend fell off the ledge. Kiran screamed as he was hurtled through the air. He thought that he was going to die, when suddenly, his mask glowed. He felt a rushing sensation come to him as he suddenly disappeared, then reappeared right above Lekka's head. He fell with a bam right on top of his friend.

"Ouch!" Lekka shouted, his face in the ground, "How and what did you do that for?!?"

Torak was grateful that his friend was alright, but by that time Tartarahk managed to pummel himself through the door. The cloud of robots had descended on the Fortress, and screams and roars could be heard coming from inside.

Tartarahk spoke, his voice mixed with the voice of the crystal, "_You have failed to save your friends, now join them as you meet your end!_"

Tartarahk hit the ground with his hammer, a huge crack appearing around the ledge that the Toa were standing. Before any of them could speak, they began falling down the great distance towards the ground. Torak watched with horror as the edge of the fortress disappeared above them, replaced by the sides of the plateau that seemed to rise up with great speed above them. Torak felt that this could be the end, when suddenly, he felt as if he was falling through the surface of water. A strange feeling of travel overcame him, as if he was being sent throughout time and space to some unknown destination. Suddenly, his destination arrived, and the world went black.

To be continued…

**Kerian**: My first big chapter in the whole story. Boy, the resistance sure got hit hard. I wonder what's going to happen next...

I actually built a model of Tartarahk. He was originally inspired by Tartarus, the Brute Chieftain from Halo 2, but I later evolved the model so that he could fit in as a character for my story. I am currently setting up my picture of Tartarus so that he could act as my next avatar for this website, so stay tuned!

Technically, Kiran has discovered his mask power, though it gets better later. For now, we just know that Kiran has his powers, but was tossed off of the edge with the rest of the Toa. Will they survive this catastrophe or will the go on the list as a part of the fallen members of the resistance?

-Kerian


	9. Chapter 9: Hidden

**Power of the Cordakah, Chapter 9**

_Five hours ago…_

Karaz had managed to arrive to the wastelands of the island. His jetpack was about to give out due to lack of fuel, a common occurence when one was flying down from the plateaus about 5,000 feet high, but he only just was able to make it to a patch of dry ground beneath the green mist. When he landed, he took off the jetpack, plugged it into a tube, and placed that tube inside a swampy murk next to the dry patch. The jetpack began to absorb the muck, which it used as fuel, quickly and hungrily. Karaz wasted no time. Using his swift reptilian feet, he managed to run over the mutagenic muck that made up the soil of the wasteland.

At least 90,000 years ago, his ancestors once lived above in the plateau-lands, back when this one island was many islands, and there was no wasteland filled with muck, but instead there was the ocean, and the dark waters of the Pit below. However, their paradise was ruled by a monster; a creature of ancient origins with power unlike anything the world had ever seen. This monster terrorized his people, the Saurions, and enslaved them so that it could achieve its goals, which were a mystery.

This changed when 12 outsiders arrived on the islands. With aid from the Saurions, the outsiders, calling themselves Toa, managed to defeat the massive serpent, and cast its body deep within the monster's fortress. It was then that the islands were raised to their current position, the waters of the pit receding and revealing a wasteland below, where only tough vegetation and wild rahi could survive.

However, an evil force called the Brotherhood of the Makuta managed to take control of this new super-island. As a result, the Saurions were evicted from their paradise, sent to the far reaches of the wastelands like the wild Rahi they were assumed to be. Since then, the Saurions had been in hiding, salvaging whatever fell from below, and preparing themselves for the day that they could return to the lands above.

Karaz ran speedily on his hind legs, his hands holding tightly to the simple staff that he carried. He was careful not to fall into any of the bogs nearby; many a creature did so, and the few that ever came out alive were mutated beyond recognition into some horrible monster or another, mostly bug-like for adaptation of the swamp-lands. The Saurions had kept track of each new and old bog that showed up in the swampy wastelands below.

Karaz was privately pleased with the Saurions' current lifestyle. The reason why the Brotherhood didn't know of their existence and decided to wipe them out of the history books was because of a massive green mist that hung about 25 feet above the ground. This mist, formed by some unknown force from the ground and the plateaus, was so thick that the sun could barely make it through, casting their world in an eerie green glow. The mist kept anyone above from noticing their existence, and it served its purpose well.

Due to the recent happenings of Makuta Nui, the Saurions' leaders had been sending scouts up to the plateaus to keep an eye out on events that went on above. Normatively, for creatures of their size, going up to the surface would be next to impossible without getting caught...that is if it weren't for the Saurions' special abilities. Saurions, at one point in time in their lives, had absorbed the powers of the mask of invisibility, allowing them to become completely invisible at will. This, combined with their natural instincts of silence while on the prowl, made them completely undetectable.

Each Saurion scout is given a special staff, a Krakahann staff, which has special abilities welded into it. These abilities are chosen at random, but eventually play out according to each Saurion's needs. Karaz's staff, for example, allows him to speed the growth of plants to an almost light-year scale. It also gives him minor capabilities of how the plants grow depending on the environment and time of need.

Karaz kept speeding through the swamp. Soon he came to the true wastelands of his home. A gigantic plain of dust and sand, completely hardened and glassed over the years in contact with the sun, surrounded the entire region known as the swamplands. This land, called the Forbidden Zone, was avoided even by his kind. No one, Saurion or outsider alike, had ever explored that region, even though there were rumors of ancient artifacts dotting the surface of the glassed sea.

Karaz ignored the wastes and kept running, keeping to the small line of grass and plants that made up the borderlands. As he ran, he would occasionally point his staff at a withered plant or a simple weed, allowing them to grow a little bit bigger to absorb the unforgiving sunlight. Karaz was happy with his work; one day, the village elders, called the Durana, would promote him to become an Elemental, the highest class of villagers in the Saurion clans. It was an Elemental's job to help shape the environment according to the villages' needs. The Durana had prophesized that one day there would be many Saurion Elementals needed in the time to come, when the Makuta would be overthrown and peace would once again become restored to the lands of the Saurions.

Karaz came up to a single tree whose branches were forlorn. He stopped a few feet from its trunk. The tree was long dead, its branches stripped of leaves and bark and all signs of life. Nothing could allow it to grow any longer. Even its core was lifeless; Karaz knew this was true, because he looked himself.

Karaz stopped and bent low. He rapped his staff three times on the ground, each rap louder than the first. He felt a stirring in the breeze. He looked up to see a fellow Saurion, his body just materializing from its invisible state. Karaz knew that this Saurion was of the Wind caste, known for their green and grey bodies; unlike Karaz, who was of the Plant caste, his body being different shades of green and yellow.

Karaz came up from his bow, which was a formal greeting to an elder. The fellow Saurion raped the end of his staff thrice in return, the general reply to a younger. Suddenly, the two of them embraced each other in a brotherly hug.

"Brother Karaz," the Wind Saurion said in happiness after they parted from their hug, "You have arrived quick-brother. What good-news comes from high-above?"

"Much good news, brother Lera," said Karaz as he returned his staff to the sheath on his back, "But the news must wait. We have to get to the Durana! They must here this first!"

"On our way, speed-brother," said Lera, placing his own staff in its sheath, "Be quick-fast we must go!"

Without another word, the two brothers sped off to the village. Along the way, Lera occasionally whistled or growled in the surrounding undergrowth. As he did so, a Saurion, and occasionally a Matoran villager would peek out and run after them. The two brothers quickly became more than 200 villagers who rushed to the central village of the Saurions. Even Rahi began to join their group, mostly Kikanalo and Viso-Jaga, but many others soon followed.

* * *

In a little while the army of Saurions, Matoran, and Rahi quickly arrived to the village. Village was quite an understatement for the village of Saur-Koro. The place was massive, at least a hundred or more simple dwellings, each being able to hold anywhere between 2 to 23 villagers, made up most of the large compound, all of them surrounding a single large, two story structure, the highest structure allowed in the wastelands. This structure was the Temple to the Great Spirit, and was shared by Saurion and matoran alike.

The fact that 200 or more Saurions, Matoran, and Rahi were arriving at the city gates didn't surprise many of the inhabitants of the village, although admittedly they were curious as to what was going on. Soon, at least a thousand strong villagers of all nationalities, including Skakdi, Vortixx, Dark Hunters, and even a Turaga or two, could be seen gathered around the temple. Lera and Karaz were quickly brought inside by two big and burly Exo-Vahki, a robot built and programmed out of a modified Vahki chassis.

The Vahki led the two Saurions inside the hallway of the temple. Carvings of the Great Spirit, stone artifacts, and the occasional mask of power adorned the walls of the wooden hallway of the temple, each kept polished and well cared for by matoran villagers. When they spotted the two Saurions, they immediately stopped what they were doing and either bowed, saluted, or waved at the two reptilian scouts.

Soon, they arrived in a great chamber, the centerpiece of the temple. Ten other Saurions, each of them a scout like Lera and Karaz, were standing to attention when they arrived. In the center of the structure was a single stone sundail, at least 12 feet high and having a 20 foot radius. Standing in front of it were three large, bird-like reptiles, each with a staff of different color or design. The reptiles didn't have tails; instead they sported feathers, and brilliant colors on their bodies. Each of them had serious looking eyes, ones that could pierce and perceive any forms of kindness or bad deeds. The one in the center sported an adorned Kanohi Hau on his shoulder, which glowed with golden light.

The two Saurions bowed low, rapped their staffs three times on the ground, and closed their eyes in reverence to the three reptiles standing before them. The three each held out their staffs over the two Saurions, bellowed, and then rapped the ends of their staves once on the ground, letting the sound echo through the wooden halls of the temple.

Karaz, his head still low, began to speak. "Oh great Durana," he said in sincere tones, "May the light and blessings of Mata Nui grace you always as you grace them on us. We are your humble messengers to your service."

The Durana with the golden Hau stepped forward and placed his hands on the two Saurions. "Karaz, Lera, my two sons," he said, "May my grace as leader of this village reflect on you both in your lives, and may your every doing be guided by the Great Spirit, whether in sickness or in health, for as long as the universe lives."

The Durana beside him both trilled their birdlike voices in agreement. The great Durana raised a hand in silence, and then looked down at Karaz. He spoke in quiet and earnest tones. "You have returned from your journey, young one," he said, "What news goes on in the upper world? What have the outsiders been doing?"

Karaz stood straight, returning his staff to the sheath on his back. "Lord Dian of the Durana," he said, "I bring news of both good and bad. The outsiders are truly against the Makuta. They are with the Matoran Resistance above. I have seen and confirmed this with my own eyes."

The ten Saurion scouts began whispering to each other in earnest tones, keeping their voices low as they spoke of the matter. Durana Dian silenced them with a look in his eyes, and then looked back at Karaz, motioning to him to continue.

"My bad news is this," Karaz continued, his voice grave, "the Matoran Resistance has planned an all out attack; something that we knew for years. They plan on attacking the Makuta Fortress tonight in full scale, but their numbers are too few to even scratch the surface. According to what I found out, they were intent on attacking tonight, yet their numbers barely reach more than two thousand strong. I fear they may not last the night."

There was a hush amongst the Saurions. Durana Dian looked grave, and then spoke with his fellow Durana in hushed tones, their birdlike trills gently echoing in the air. They spoke this language because no one but the Durana could understand it, and even those who attempted to learn it couldn't speak it as well, unless they were birds.

Durana Dian turned back to Karaz, his head bent low. "Thank you Karaz," he said, his voice grave, "You and your brother may return with the others. For now, I feel that the best we can do in this fight is to activate the Dia-Setters, and hope for the best that if many fall that they fall back to us. Other than this, there is nothing we can do."

"Were it so easy..."

A voice from above caused the Saurions to look around in shock. Only the Durana didn't look quite as surprised, as if expecting the voice to call out eventually.

"Arbiter," Dian called out, his eyes glancing up at the ceiling, "Come down and join our congregation. You are Saurion as well; why not join your kind?"

A strange shadow seemed to move from its spot in the ceiling. It jumped down and landed on the sundial. There was a noise like something heavy had landed on stone as the shadow landed gently on the artifact. Suddenly, the shadows shifted and departed, revealing a Toa-sized creature in silver and black armor. It walked gently down from the artifact and stood with the Durana.

"Were it so easy to just simply stand aside and let the Resistance above become martyrs," began the Arbiter, his four-fingered hands clenched into fists, "Or should we not go to the surface and join them? For ages, I watched our people live off of whatever they could in the dirt, and toil under the green mists of this world, while our oppressors who don't even know of our existence torture and murder thousands of innocents just 5,000 feet above our heads. For ages, we felt that the best peace would be down here where the sun beats down and where the nights freeze us in our sleep. Well, if this be peace, then I do not wish to live in it any longer. I say that we join the allies who have no clue of our existence, and we fight against the Makuta, and liberate us from their hands!"

The twelve Saurions bellowed and cheered their approval. The Durana though, merely shook their heads in disappointment.

"Arbiter," Durana Dian said, "I know of your hatred to the Makuta. I know how you wish to make peace and allow the matoran villagers who we have brought to our homes back to their friends above. I know that you wish to allow our people to once again live above as we did before when this one island was many, but you know we do not have any means of attacking the Makuta, nor the firepower or transportation. We might as well have the Makuta enroll us as a slave force now, for that is all that we will receive if we attack the above-lands."

The two other Durana nodded their heads in agreement. The twelve Saurions began discussing in low tones, debating about what course of action they should take. The Arbiter, as if hearing enough, turned and walked out the door.

One of the Durana made as if to call him back, but Dian stopped him. He knew for a fact that the Arbiter should have some time to reflect. He would let him be, and hopefully the Arbiter would think differently about this conversation.

* * *

Little did Dian know that the Arbiter had other plans. As soon as he was out the door, the Arbiter quickly sped through the village streets. As fast as he could, he sped out of Saur-Koro's gates and through the green mist. As he sped, he couldn't help but hear the noises of three pairs of feet behind him.

The Arbiter stopped in his tracks. Although invisibility affects all forms of sight, he could tell for a fact that three Saurion scouts had followed him out of the village. He slowed his pace until he came to the lip of the forbidden lands, then stopped in his tracks. Without turning, he acknowledged the three Saurions behind him.

"You may reveal yourselves now," he said, his eyes still gazing ahead, "I know you are around."

Karaz and two other Saurions, one of ice and one of fire, appeared behind the Arbiter. The three of them were about to use traditional greeting, but the Arbiter held out a hand to stop them.

"Is there a need of tradition among friends?" the Arbiter asked.

Karaz approached the Arbiter, his face set with determination. "We want to go with you," Karaz said, "We know you are going to join the resistance, so we wish to fight at your side."

Dialgo, the Saurion of ice, nodded his head in agreement. Firenze, the Saurion of Fire, voiced his own agreement, "We believe that there shall be no true peace unless this island is be rid of its tyrants from above!"

"Well spoken," said the Arbiter. He looked back at the three of them. "If you wish to follow me," he said, "then you had best stick to my side and stay at my feet like Kavinika hounds. If we get separated in the forbidden lands, then you will be lost in there forever. Do me a favor and don't make me have to explain your disappearance to the Duranas. I would rather keep the armor on my body if you don't mind."

"Where are we going, master Arbiter?" asked Dialgo, his staff of gravity poised in his hands.

"We go to visit a friend," the Arbiter replied. And with that, the four of them set out.

* * *

It was an hour until the four of them arrived to their destination. The forbidden lands were considered the Gulag of the wastes. The ground was hot wherever you touched, and the air smelt of burning sulfur. The sun shone its brightest through the green mist here, but it also shone its most unmercifully. For thousands of years, the mutagen that was a part of most of the wastelands had dried up, taking any suitable soil with it, causing the entire area to become dry and as hard as glass. For ages, the land had hardened itself and re-hardened until the area became such a wasteland that not even a Zyglak would find it comfortable here. At times, there would even be mirages in the heat that could lure a passing traveler to his doom.

The Arbiter had trained himself for years to identify what was a mirage, and what wasn't, in the forbidden lands. He knew perfectly well where a mirage would occur, how to perceive if it was real, and, when it was a mirage, to cast it away. He made sure to have the Saurions keep their eyes on his back at all times, and to never stray from the path no matter what happens.

Finally, after an hour had passed, they had arrived at their destination. The three Saurions could not believe their eyes in the desert heat. A huge monolith of stone stood before them, its corners surrounded by four stone obelisks. The monolith, although tall, seemingly was covered completely by the mist, as if it were completely blocked away from the rest of the island's view. Only one entrance inside could be seen; a single open doorway, a simple design, which led into a metallic hallway. Stairs made of stone led up to the door, their edges long smoothed away from the beating sun.

As the Arbiter approached, he stopped, and listened to the air. A humming sound could be heard coming closer, as if it was being shot at high speeds towards their location. The Arbiter acted quickly. He grabbed the tails of the three Saurions and quickly dragged them a few steps backwards from where they were standing. The Saurions yelped in surprise, screaming in pain as they were dragged by their sensitive extremities.

"Hey!" Karaz shouted when the Arbiter put him back down, "What was that for?!?"

Suddenly, a Rohtuka spinner answered his question. The spinner, which was launched from a ways from the monolith, crashed directly where they had stood earlier. The Saurions watched in fascinated horror as the ground where the spinner collided began to crush itself inwardly, being pulled into the earth as if gravity was choosing to embrace it a little more than the rest of the earth.

The Arbiter looked up as the sound of jets went off in the sky. A skyboard of black and grey metal came down from the mist above, its stabilizers helping to guide the board down from the sky. Riding it was a Toa, his armor a collection of silvers, grays, and blacks. In his right hand he had a Vahki Zahdak staff, while in his left he held a large Rhotuka spinner. Hidden on his back was a Zamor Gravity-class rifle, and hidden on the skyboard was a Shock-class Saber. He bore a Kanohi mask of repair on his face, the silver outlining shining in what sunlight that bore through the mists.

The Toa smoothly came close to the Saurions and the Arbiter, gliding the skyboard gently down to the glassed ground. As the skyboard landed, the Toa hopped off, almost hovering before he landed. The Arbiter looked at the Toa and smiled.

"Greetings Teros, Toa Cordakah!" the Arbiter said.

To be continued…

**Kerian**: Wow! The "third players" in the story are revealed, and so has a new, or perhaps old, face from the Toa Cordakah! Wait...did the Arbiter just say that his name was Teros? Didn't Teros die earlier? Interesting...

Teros is probably my favorite of the Cordakah. He was also the only one I succeeded in building a model for. Wearing a mask of repair (Turaga Dume, also the mask worn by Toa Norik, though Norik's was a different type altogether), and carrying a Shock-Saber (Toa Inika Nuparu's weapon), as well as a Zamor Rifle, Teros is a force to be reckoned with. (By the Rhotuka Spinner you had just seen, you can guess that this guy's a Toa of Gravity.)

The Arbiter, as well as the Saurions, are semi-based off of the Elites from the Halo games. I originally made an Arbiter model, but, seeing as it looked almost nothing like the real Arbiter, I decided to use it as a character for Power of the Cordakah. Saurions are about the size of Matoran, easily built using Metru-Nui Matoran arms and legs, a Toa Mata leg as a tail, and a Rakshi's head. Their appearance are based off of raptors (the models, in fact, have Bohrok teeth for the infamous retractable claws of raptors), though they also carry staffs (based off of Rahaga appearance) in battle. There are twelve sub-species of Saurions in all. Arbiters act as the "Toa" of Saurions, similarly to how Durana act as Turaga (though Durana are a seperate species altogether).

To help you guys visualize these creatures, I will be posting avatars of these models on my profile. Until next time, me out!

-Kerian


	10. Chapter 10: Outcast

**Power of the Cordakah, Chapter 10**

Four hours ago…

"Don't scare me like that, Arbiter!" Teros said, attaching his Vahki Staff and Rohtuka Spinner to his skyboard, "I almost crushed you with that blast back there. Have you ever thought of knocking?"

"Were it so easy," the Arbiter asked, "since there is no place to knock?"

"I guess you have a point," Teros said, his arms on his hips, "This place could use some redecorating. Who are your friends?"

The Arbiter introduced Karaz, Dialgo, and Firenze. The three Saurion scouts began the traditional greeting to elders, when Teros held up his hand to silence them.

"I never liked greetings like that 90,000 years ago," he said, "and I certainly won't tolerate them now. You four had best come inside; even a Toa of Stone would find this heat unbearable, and they are a desert people to begin with!"

* * *

Teros led them through the door of the monolith. A Kanohi Hau that was carved into the stone above the door's entrance seemed to stare down at them as they walked in. The dwelling inside, even though it was entirely made of metal, was simple enough. The hallway led into a single room where a table, several makeshift chairs, and a bed were its only occupants. Another Kanohi Hau stood in the room, this one made from the metallic wall and facing the entrance of the room. Teros sat down on his makeshift bed and held his hand to the chairs, welcoming them to sit down. When the four travelers sat, Teros opened a simple makeshift cabinet on the ground beside his bed and pulled out four helpings of food, simple plants and berries combined with well-cooked and preserved fish, and served them to his guests. As the four of them ate, the Toa grabbed a simple meal piece of his own, which consisted of a simple bread-like substance.

Karaz could not help but stare at the Toa. Although all life forms unknown to the Saurions were called outsiders, Karaz seemed to guess what Teros was. Durana Dian had explained that Saurions had a similar hierarchy as that of the Matoran, where there were three general classes in a single group; villager, hero, and leader. As Matoran are villagers in their species, so are Saurions, while the Turaga were the leaders of the Matoran, the Durana were leaders of the Saurions. So if the Arbiters were the heroes of the Saurions, then this one…

Karaz suddenly realized that he was caught staring, as Teros was looking straight at him. Karaz bent his head in shame; like Matoran were told in a young age, Saurions were taught that it was rude to stare at anyone, whether they are outsider, elder, or even close friends. Teros simply smiled behind his mask at the simple reptile in front of him.

"What is it that you find so fascinating about me, young one?" Teros asked, his eyes full of wisdom and compassion for the curious Saurion.

Karaz looked up at the hero. He cleared his throat nervously. "Uh, mighty hero sir," Karaz began asking, "I was wondering, if you are who the Arbiter says you are, then you are truly a hero of legend worth honoring for years to come. Pray, tell me, how did you get here?"

Teros sighed, rubbing his hand on his head, as if remembering long things past. It seemed to Karaz and the others that many of the memories Teros had were those of pain and suffering. Finally, Teros began his tale.

"Once, long ago," he began, "in the time before time, I was known to the world as Teros, the Toa Cordakah of Gravity. I was one of the first recruits that the Toa Cordakah trained and accepted into their group, alongside a Toa of Plasma, and a Toa of Light. We, and three others, were to become the second generation of Toa trained by the secret organization called the Order of Mata Nui. We defeated our foes mission after mission, and for thousands of years we were unstoppable.

"That is, until one fateful day about 80,000 years ago. After we managed to aid the Brotherhood of the Makuta, a long time ally of ours, in the battle against the League of Six Kingdoms, there seemed to be a curse put upon us. It started when our Toa of Light was killed in a battle against a mighty beast of darkness. In his honor, we put his mask, the Kanohi Avohkii itself, in its forging place at Artahka. Since then, our team members began disappearing and leaving, until I and the original six were left. One day, the Great Spirit Mata Nui sent a message to the Toa Cordakah, telling them to come to Artahka to await a mission for the Great Spirit. In a separate vision, Mata Nui asked me to remain behind, so when I asked my friends if I would not accompany them, they let me be.

"Off the coast of Artahka, I saw with horror as a great beam of light struck Artahka, destroying my six companions, along with a Makuta who accompanied him. I was the only one alive on our boat, carrying a sealed box that the Makuta left behind. Out of instinct, I sailed to the secret location of the Order, where I gave them the strange box and told them all that had happened. Disbelieving my explanation of a separate vision, they believed that I knew of my companions' demise and chose to remain behind out of fear, without telling them what was to happen. Although the rest of the order called for my death, Helryx, the first Toa and the compassionate ruler of the Order of Mata Nui, had chosen a different punishment. She stated that because of my actions, I was to be transformed into my Matoran form, to forever walk the universe in guilt, and perhaps find a means of penance for my actions.

"When I was transformed, I was devastated. For years, I walked the lands that I had saved, watching them transform over time from great paradises to empty wastes, from mighty and sprawling empires to savage lands of darkness. I grew old enough to watch empires rise and fall with the passing tides; even old enough that only a small fraction of Matoran, Toa, and Turaga could vaguely remember my name. It was devastating to me, and I felt all hope was lost.

"Suddenly, I was taken by Makuta slave catchers. I was taken to this place, a land that I had once saved long ago, where I was forced to work as a slave. It was here that I began receiving visions from Mata Nui once again, and for the first time in over 70 millennia, I felt hope rise in me once again! I chose this as a place where I could give hope to those who needed it, I helped forge a small resistance force for a time, and watched it grow tremendously. I took on many apprentices, but it wasn't until a recent vision that I felt that the time was right to leave my sanctum. I asked my last apprentice, a Ko-Matoran foolish enough to think he could rebel the Makuta with peace, to toss me off the edge of the cliffs, where I would succumb to my fate."

Teros slouched a little, his voice heavy from speaking so much. Karaz, Dialgo, and Firenze stared at the Toa in awe, hanging to every word that he spoke, their eyes wide in admiration.

"That is all that I will tell you for now," Teros said, sitting upright once again, "I believe that the Arbiter had brought you here for more than just simple bedtime stories, didn't you friend?"

The Arbiter got up from his seat and told Teros everything that was seen and reported by the three Saurion scouts, and stated that the outsiders, along with the Matoran Resistance, were planning a full scale assault that very night.

"This attack," Teros began when the Arbiter completed his tale, "when does it begin?"

The Arbiter took a quick peek outside, detecting the single orb of sun that glowed through the green mist, he popped back inside. "The attack should begin in about four hours," he said.

"Then we must be a part of it," Teros said, getting up from his bed, "If what you say about the outsiders is true, then Mata Nui has chosen my day of forgiveness at last."

* * *

_The end of the battle, five minutes earlier…_

* * *

Teros flew up the center plateau's cliff side on his skyboard, with the Arbiter hanging tightly by his side. Karaz, Firenze, and Dialgo followed closely behind on their jetpacks, their bodies almost completely invisible in the gloom of the night.

For the last half an hour, Teros and the Arbiter could vaguely make out the sounds of battle above. As they rose higher and higher, they watched as a great quake seemed to shake the plateau, and the sound of rushing water seemed to come out of nowhere. Suddenly, everything seemed to stop, as if some unseen force had dissipated the water.

"What do you think that was?" the Arbiter shouted through the rush of wind from the speeding skyboard.

"I cannot say," Teros shouted back, "Could it be that the battle is over?"

"Were it so easy..." the Arbiter asked.

Suddenly, a great roar shook the very air that the five were travelling on.

"Kuma Nui!" Firenze shouted in surprise, "What kind of Rahi or Makuta-Beast could make a sound like that?!"

"Nothing that was made in this universe," Teros said solemnly. Before the others could reply, a tremendous buzzing sound filled the air, as if the air was filled with gigantic insects.

When the Arbiter looked up, he realized that the sound was made by something worse.

The sky, which was once filled with stars, was almost completely blotted out by swarms upon swarms of Vahki and Karakash robots that flew high up into the air. Upon hearing the roar they had begun descending onto the fortress, murder in their wake. The Arbiter watched as a Karakash came zooming down towards them.

Quickly taking action, the Arbiter turned himself invisible before the Karakash could identify its prey. The beetle-like construct flew advanced quickly towards Teros, its jaws snapping open and shut like a tremendous pair of deadly hedge clippers!

Without warning, the Arbiter turned visible. In his four fingered hand was what looked like a simple rod with a button on it. The Karakash, surprised at the sudden mass-extension made by its prey, quickly snapped out of it and began to overtake the pair.

When the Karakash was within a few feet, the Arbiter pressed the button on the rod. With a flash of blue light, a pair of blades made of protodermis sprouted from the rod's ends, creating a sword that pointed forward with his arm. The surprised Karakash could only watch in what seemed to be mechanical horror as the blade materialized and cut through its chassis, splitting the Vohtarak shell that made its head in half! The Karakash fell like a stone for 4,000 feet, never to be seen again, except in pieces.

The Arbiter looked back to the forward end of the skyboard. Teros kept guiding his mighty vehicle up and up and up to the top of the plateau, when suddenly the cloud of robots hit the fortress. Screams, shouts, and roars of pain could be vaguely heard above their heads. Karaz, even though invisible, could feel his face cringe in pain and sorrow. They were too late.

A Viso-Jaga with a Matoran rider suddenly plunged beside them. Teros stopped his skyboard for a moment, causing the rest of the party to stop moving as well. They watched the supposed unfortunate pair fall a great distance towards the ground. Suddenly, a series of explosions on the sides of the plateau, invisible from the tops, caught their attention. A portal as big as a Muaka opened up beneath the falling pair, swallowing the Rahi and rider whole. As the portal closed, a similar one could barely be seen, a mere dot in the distance, below the mists in the wasteland.

The Arbiter sighed in relief. He looked at Karaz and the others, and motioned Teros to keep moving. The Durana had remembered to activate the dimension gateway. A simple construct designed by ancient hands, the gateway connected to a device that had absorbed the powers of a Kanohi Olmak, the Mask of Dimensions, allowing any construct, biological or mechanical, to pass through it and end up in a specific destination unharmed. In this case, the destination was the ground. It was the reason why so many Matoran, Skakdi, Dark Hunters, etc. had survived the tremendous fall from the plateaus of Makuta Nui.

Suddenly, there was a tremendous crack. A huge ledge had just collapsed right above the heads of the five would-be fighters. The Saurions, the Arbiter, and Teros managed to dodge it in time, but Teros gasped when he saw who was on the ledge as it fell…

Six Toa, their bodies covered in silver and/or gold armor, were falling off of the edge of the plateau!

Without a word, Teros dove. The Arbiter barely managed to grab a hold of him as they dropped. Teros watched anxiously as five of the Toa managed to enter the portals, but one of them, the Toa of fire, was going to miss the barrier cleanly. Teros dove as fast as he dared, determined to get to the Toa of fire before he passed by the dimension barrier. As they dove, the Arbiter motioned for their Saurion companions to enter the barrier as well, indicating that they could be of no help in this matter.

Above them, an entire squadron of Vahki had noticed their descent. They broke off from the main army, and dove swiftly like sentinels of death after the falling pair. The Arbiter spotted them quickly, and grabbed Teros's Zamor rifle from the sheath on his back. He aimed the Zamor rifle at the dimension former on the cliff wall, praying to the Great Spirit that his aim would be swift and true.

As Teros flew down, he barely managed to grab the Toa of fire from behind and dragged him into the barrier just as the Arbiter and Teros had entered. The Arbiter fired the rifle, sending a miniature black hole into the dimension former, destroying it as the portal closed. The Vahki flew down expecting to breach the barrier, only to pass through thin air. The squadron flew about for a moment, curious as to how their prey managed to escape them. As they flew off, none of them noticed the tiny blue dot go out near the wasteland floor.

To be continued…

**Kerian**: This has got to be one of my favorite chapters. Teros explains about his past life, and the Arbiter, along with the three Saurions, witness the final battle and lend a little hand themselves.

Teros reveals a little more about himself, which he also does later on in the story. Since this is the last chapter left to edit, I will try my best and post the other four that I made, as well as continue with the story. I am estimating that I may have somewhere between 18-20 chapters when I am done. Those of you who like this story, hold on tight, because the Cordakah have a long way to go before they realize their destiny here in the universe of Bionicle! Until next time, me out!

-Kerian


	11. Chapter 11: Three Betrayals

**Power of the Cordakah, Chapter 11**

Sentik's mind was in a whirlpool of pain. His last conscious memory was falling through a blue-black void, time slowing down, and then everything went black. Voices and shapes occasionally were perceived through his mask, and sooner or later he could make out the appearance of matoran, Skakdi, and strange Rahi-like creatures surrounding him. He felt as if he was being carried aloft, and the blackness returned. His sleep was surrounded by feverish dreams of failure, death, and the mask of Teros sitting beside his guilt.

His eyes began to open, and he felt as if he was still dreaming, for it seemed as if Teros was sitting across from him that very moment. His eyes came fully open from behind his mask, and he saw indeed that he was either dreaming, or he was dead. Teros, alive and well, seemed to be sitting right beside the makeshift bed that Sentik was layed on, although he looked much different. His silver-white body was replaced by the body of a black and grey Toa, although his mask stayed just the same. His eyes kept the same wise, thoughtful stare that Sentik remembered him by, and yet the eyes somehow seemed younger; much more energetic and filled with long lost youth.

"By the Great Spirit," Sentik said as he got up, "Teros, is that you?"

Teros smiled and shook his head. "Reality's concepts haven't escaped your grasp so far, my young apprentice," He said, his bright yellow eyes looking into Sentik's blue ones.

Sentik looked around at his surroundings. He seemed to be inside of a grass and bark hut, one well made and designed to comfortably hold at least two people together. "If you are real, Teros," Sentik began, "then I and my brothers are dead and all is lost. We have failed, and to compensate our failure the Great Spirit placed us in an afterlife where we shall be humbled by our shame."

"Spoken like a true philosopher," Teros said as he got up from the simple rock seat that he perched upon, "except you made a mistake; you're not dead."

Sentik looked at his old teacher confused. If what Teros said was true, then that would mean…

"Teros! You're alive!!!" Sentik shouted. He rushed up and embraced his teacher, catching Teros off guard. Teros smiled and patted Sentik's back softly. Sentik let go of his teacher, then began his questions.

"How-when-why-who…?" Sentik rambled.

"You forgot what and where," Teros cut him off, setting Sentik back down on his bed. Sentik couldn't help but just stare at Teros, surprised and awed at how his teacher somehow marveled his death, and how he, his apprentice, had marveled death himself. However, something was nagging him; his master's appearance.

"Teros," Sentik said, "How did you become a—?"

"Toa?" Teros finished for him, "Well, truth be told I always was one, but I will get to that story later. Right now you need to get to your brothers and sister, and I want a chance to introduce you to your rescuers, who as we speak are staring through these windows and doorways right now."

Sentik looked at the shabby windows and the slit that made up the door of the hut. He couldn't see anything through them, although some strange presence hung in the air, like something was watching him; however, all that Sentik could see was just a Fikou spider hanging above on the ceiling.

"Well, unless my rescuers are very small or invisible," Sentik said, still looking around for the supposed eavesdroppers, "I don't think they are here."

"Small, no," a voice suddenly spoke up from the doorway, "invisible, not for long!"

Suddenly, six reptilian creatures the size of matoran formed in the thin air. Sentik bounced back in surprise. The six figures, their colors ranging from Glacial White to Makuta Black stared up at him in a mixture of awe and wonder. One of them, a creature whose colors was different shades of greens and yellows, came up to him and bowed, striking the end of his staff three times on the ground, letting the sound echo in the small hut. The figure stood up, and looked at Sentik's confused eyes.

"Welcome, oh great hero of the above," the little reptile said, his arms rose up to the sky, "I am Karaz, a humble servant of all heroes and fighters of wrongs. I, Karaz, along with the great Teros, our Arbiter, and two of my best friends were the ones that had spotted you and your brothers and sister. We helped save you and your friends, but all we ask for in return is friendship."

Karaz held out his hand to the surprised Toa. Sentik looked up at Teros. His teacher nodded his head, indicating for him to accept the little one's offering. Slowly, Sentik held out his hand, and grasped the tiny clawed hand of Karaz. The reptile had a strong grip, and shook Sentik's hand twice before releasing it. Sentik, somehow, felt honored by this greeting, and smiled at the little reptile.

"Well," Teros said, "No point waiting here like statues awed on by young villagers; we should see what the rest of your friends are up to, shall we?"

Teros made for the door. Sentik got up and followed him out, wondering where his adventures would take him today.

* * *

Torak couldn't believe what had happened to him. The last thing he remembered the night before was that he had fallen at least a thousand feet down from the sky. Suddenly as he fell, a hand seemed to grab him from behind, and he fell through a bluish-black void, and then went unconscious.

When he awoke, he found himself surrounded by two-legged lizards the size of Matoran, all carrying staffs that they rapped on the ground when they saw him get up.

Not exactly what one expects to wake up to.

Torak learned for the short time that he was here that these creatures, Saurions as they called themselves, had been watching him and the other Toa Cordakah. He also learned that they were no friends of the Makuta, so that cheered him up somewhat. After all, how can one simple Toa beat at least a hundred small, matoran sized lizards that could turn invisible at will?

The little Saurions guided him out of the simple quarters that he was occupying. As Torak walked outside, he was amazed at what he saw. An entire village stood before him, its outsides and open air surrounded by green mist that all but blocked out a large portion of the sunlight. All around him, he saw the strange creatures that had rescued him, some playing with their little ones, others attending to daily duties, and yet others marching in formation around and through city streets as if preparing for an ever present war.

And that was not all that Torak saw. All around him he spotted matoran who he knew during his slave days, those who were caught in the resistance and deemed too "unimportant" to be given a decent torturous death and were thrown over the sides of the cliffs. Many others were matoran who had disappeared, presumed missing in action. And there weren't just matoran either; Skakdi, former Dark Hunters, even a Turaga or two could be seen walking in the city streets, all of them moving about as if they had not a care in the world, yet every once in a while one would glance skyward as if wondering what was going on above them.

When Torak walked in their midst, most just stared up at him in awe. Many who could recognize what matoran was left in his features greeted warmly, and he back, as many of these matoran he had thought died long ago, and many more he wept over the presumed loss of their lives.

Torak wondered if his rescuers were really rescuers, and if he had died the night before. This changed when he saw his five companions in the middle of a town square, talking to each other as if they were in a time of peace once more. When they saw Torak, they quickly called him over to them.

"What happened last night?" Torak asked them all, "How did we get here? Is everybody alright?"

"I believe I am the one who can answer at least two of those questions," a bold voice answered Torak. He turned around and saw to his astonishment what looked like Teros, the old matoran founder of the resistance. Except, it didn't look too much like Teros, unless Teros had gained a growth spurt in the short time he was presumed dead.

Torak noticed he was staring. He shook the sense back into him, and then asked, "We were told you were dead. How did you get here, and why are you a Toa?"

"Well," Teros began, "I guess you could say a guardian angel swept down from above and carried me aloft, and granted me the powers I longingly hoped for." When Torak looked more confused than ever, this time with the other Toa Cordakah with questions in their eyes, Teros chuckled and said, "Perhaps it will be easier in a story. First, let me introduce you to someone who helped rescue you, and if it weren't for him the whole village and more would be in danger!"

Suddenly, a strange shadow, an apparition, began to dissolve and form shapes. The Toa Cordakah all gasped as the Arbiter appeared before them, his energy sword in hand, and his head bent down in honor to the six of them.

"I introduce you to the Arbiter," Teros said, and the Arbiter continued his bow, bending low and gracefully before he came back up again.

"I welcome you into my home," the Arbiter said to them, "You may stay as long as you wish, although I fear that the time you wish to depart will be soon at hand."

"Not likely in my mind," Kiran spoke up, his eyes darting too and fro as if trying to gulp in as much scenery as possible, "Any place free of the Makuta is like home to me! I doubt much goes on here anyway."

"Were that so easy," the Arbiter chuckled.

* * *

Kiran, Torak, and the others sat together around what looked like an ancient Toa Suva. Teros, in his new Toa form, looked down at the six Toa Cordakah who were sitting around the Suva. Behind the Toa, the Arbiter and the twelve Saurion scouts listened well to the tale of Teros, as he told of how he had been a Toa Cordakah long ago, how he fought great battles alongside the original six, and how in the end he became a matoran for being in the wrong place at the wrong time (_chapter 10_).

As Teros reached the part where he fell from the cliff, he paused to recollect his thoughts. Many of the Saurions seated there began muttering amongst themselves, reflecting on the story and how it seemed to add further to the respect that they had to this "outsider." Kiran just sat there thinking for a while. _If Teros was truly a Toa Cordakah, wouldn't that make him, naturally, our new leader?_

Kiran couldn't finish his thoughts, for Teros was continuing his story.

"Well, as soon as I had fallen a ways, you could imagine how I must have felt," he said, "However, just before I had given myself up for dead, a mysterious hand came out from next to me, and dragged me through time and space to a place I never thought I would see again: Daxia!"

The Toa Cordakah were puzzled by what he said. None of them had ever heard of this place before; by Mata Nui, one of them even knew very much of the outside world themselves. However, the Saurions seemed perplexed at this name, and many of them gasped and cheered for joy, as if the word sparked as much hope as the promise of Artahka. Kiran was now even more confused than ever; he had only heard the name Daxia once before, and he was told that it was a myth; an old Turaga's tale. What was this Daxia?

"Daxia," Teros continued, " for those of you who do not know, is the secret location of a secret organization that I, as well as the original six Cordakah, had founded alongside the first ever Toa. For thousands of years, I had once been a part of that organization until I was evicted when the original six disappeared…evicted until now! The being that grabbed me and took me to this island was called Botar, an old friend who can teleport wherever he pleases…

* * *

_Five days earlier…_

* * *

Teros looked wildly about. The last thing he had remembered was falling about 2,000 feet, a request he made to an apprentice he loved and will miss forevermore. He then suddenly felt like he was being grabbed from behind, brought into a state of vertigo, and then suddenly came here into a dark and dimly lit chamber. The only light that he could see was being made by a series of yellow and blue colored lightstones, and a strange basin in the center of the chamber. On a throne in this chamber was someone he never thought he would see again.

"Hello again, old friend," A Toa of water addressed the ancient matoran.

"Helryx, it is an honor," Teros said, taking a bow to the even older Toa before him. He winced with pain and brought his hand behind him, rubbing his metallic back. _The curse of getting old_, he thought to himself.

"There is no need to bow to an equal, Teros," Helryx replied, rising up from the simple throne. She walked around the glowing basin at her feet and stood before the 'shorter' Matoran, with an attitude of respect and honor. Except for amongst Matoran, Teros was unused to being greeted in such a fashion, even by a Toa. What made Helryx so different from all the rest?

"There was a reason why you sent Botar to find me," Teros said, looking back at the giant behind him. Botar looked up at his commander. Helryx nodded. Before Teros could speak to his old comrade, Botar instantly disappeared, teleporting to some unknown location.

"There is no need to ask for where he is going," Helryx said to the small matoran, "He has gone on a mission a little ways away from your last location." (Read more in Dwellers in Darkness, ).

"Not the Pit, I suppose?" Teros asked.

Helryx smiled. Even as a Matoran, Teros was gifted with the ability of reading one's ambitions. It was the reason why he was elected as one of the first new recruits for the original six Toa Cordakah, a position that was honored more than even hers.

"I suppose you are curious as to why you are here then?" Helryx asked.

"I have good reason to, as you just interrupted my vision-inspired suicide," Teros said, his eyes staring up at the majestic face of the leader of the Order of Mata Nui.

"Suicide, maybe not," Helryx replied, gently taking the old Matoran to the side of the chamber, "Assigning of a mission, maybe so."

Teros looked up in shock and awe at the Toa. Impossible. After over 70,000 years stuck in his Matoran form, there could not be any going back. He disgraced his people; he disgraced Mata Nui! Most of all, he let his friends down, the six most trusted friends of his who he made it through thick and thin with, and they paid the price he wished he took instead. How could he, Teros the shameful, regain his honor after all this time?

"You have been through a lot I see," Helryx said to the Matoran. Teros didn't have to ask how she knew. Helryx's mask of power, a kanohi of memories was what he called it, had the ability to let her see the past of any object in the universe and beyond just by touching it. Already, in a matter of a few seconds, she had seen all that he had been through since day one of becoming disgraced. Teros knew there was no hiding his shame, but he kept his chin up anyway. After all this time alone with his thoughts, what more could he do?

"I am curious, Teros," Helryx began after she took her hand from the Matoran's shoulder, "how does a Toa Cordakah expect to regain his honor and favor with the Great Spirit by committing suicide by means of falling to your doom?"

"Well, you would too if you were stuck with this kind of guilt all of this time," Teros said.

"I have," Helryx replied, "The kind of guilt that comes from denying a friend the knowledge I have received. You were not responsible for the Cordakahs' deaths."

"What do you-"

Helryx put her hand over Teros' mouth. She closed her eyes, and concentrated. Another reason that Teros called Helryx's mask a mask of memories is that she can also transfer fixed memories from her past to another if she concentrated hard enough. This was reserved for only the finest and most honorable of choosers. Teros was pretty lucky in this case.

He saw how Helryx had issued an order to wipe out all those who had knowledge of the location of Artahka. He saw how, ahead of time, Mata Nui sent a vision to Helryx to spare Teros, but let the Great Spirit take back what was rightfully his. He also saw how Helryx debriefed the original six in what was to happen, and that they knew full well about what was going to come. The last thing he saw before reverting back into reality was a red bolt coming down to the six Toa Cordakah, brining them back to their original state, and an Order of Mata Nui agent killing the Makuta that came along.

When Teros came to, he felt tears flowing freely from his mask. Helryx was sitting next to him, an arm around his shoulders, trying to comfort the old Matoran. Teros felt a combination of pain and hope. After all these years, he finally learned the truth about his friends, that it wasn't his fault. Finally, he felt at peace.

"You can have a chance of redemption," Helryx said to Teros as he wiped his eyes, "You can help by saving some old friends of yours."

"What friends?" asked Teros, "Except for you and the Order I have nobody. Everyone has gone from my life, so why should I care for the world?"

"Have your friends on the Makuta's factory floor deserted you?" Helryx asked, "Or was your attempted suicide really just an excuse to abandon them?"

Teros became furious. He turned up at his old comrade, about to reprimand her for saying such ilk, when he saw her smiling. She stood up and said, "I always new how to get the truth out of you. That proves that there is a little good in the old gripe called Teros, isn't there?"

Teros chuckled, shaking his head at Helryx. "And here people think that you are supposed to be a serious leader of a well hidden organization," Teros said to his friend, "If I didn't know any better, I would say that you are the one going soft."

"Now that would be interesting!"

Teros turned at the new voice. A big, hulking, blue-and-gold figure stood at a doorway from the chamber. He leaned against the side of the doorway nonchalantly, as if he didn't have a care in the world. Teros knew better. Ancient, a wise old friend of his, was once a Toa just like he was. Once was hardly the word for it. After a series of self-inflicted mutations, plus a nasty exposure to energized protodermis, being a Toa wouldn't exactly be a description of his current form; a bulking creature of almost nasty proportions. His blue and gold armor was once said to be a simple reminder of the armor he wore as a Toa, although nobody knows much about that anymore.

Ancient was also known to be the most skilled of double agents. Many a time had Teros met up with Ancient before, mostly with them both on opposite sides. As Toa, they were good friends, and that friendship carried on at least until the situation in Artahka, and Teros had not seen his old friend since. Last he had heard, Ancient was working for the Dark Hunters, though as always he was a double agent truly working for the Order.

"Long time no see," Teros said to the big agent standing before him, "So what are you here for—come to join the pity party?"

"Not exactly, no," Ancient said in his serious tone. He walked up to the center of the chamber, just next to the rim of the basin. Helryx gestured with her hand, and Ancient pulled out a large container, roughly the size of Teros. Teros recognized the container as a dual-packager, or D-pack as it was referred to. It was able to store at least twice the space of a normal container, using a portal to a miniature pocket-dimension attached to the inside of the container. Ancient began typing in code words to the simple keypad on the D-pack's side.

"You are lucky that I had managed to finish a mission early," Ancient said, his fingers quickly typing through the keypad, "If the Shadowed One begins growing suspicious, my role as a double agent would be cut short."

"I take it that you managed to get it then," Helryx said, her own hands beginning to add a trickle of water into the basin.

"Got it?" Ancient asked, managing to crack the codeword on the D-pack, "The Shadowed one managed to give me the exact location of where it was. He instructed me to get some samples prepared for making future Dark Hunters. I managed to get a couple barrels, but this one was extra; just for this operation."

Teros watched in awe as a quick stream of energized protodermis oozed out of the D-pack. The liquid reacted violently with the water inside, but slowly it began to dissolve the water's chemical makeup, and it seemed to grow inside of the pool, replacing the water with more of the strange liquid. Soon the entire basin was filled to the brim with the stuff, its surface bubbling with intense energy.

"I take it that it wasn't easy to get this then?" Teros finally asked after most of the awe had passed.

"More or less," Ancient replied, "Unless you think having to battle an angry nest of Catapult Scorpions is easy.

Teros scoffed, "Child's play. I could probably do it as a Matoran right now!"

"Add that last scenario with a grotto that had several hundred millimeter-thick pillars that were the only things keeping the roof up, and the fact that the area was filled with earthquakes, and you have only a fraction of my situation," Ancient said.

"That would be difficult," Teros agreed. He looked down at the pit of bubbling protodermis, and then it hit him like a bolt from the blue. "Hold it!" he said, "I thought that the Order doesn't need me anymore! Why are you doing this?"

"Well," Helryx began, "We have gotten word that there is something big going on in Makuta Nui. Makuta Icarax, Teridax's left hand and the current wielder of the Mask of Shadow, had given up his post on the Brotherhood's factory floor and has moved to a new throne on Destral. That means that a new 'lord of the manor' is taking his place. We believe that new ruler, a Skakdi that goes by the name of Tartarahk, is working for someone even more powerful than the Brotherhood, and is hoping on using whatever nasty works that are on that island to aid in his work."

Teros thought for a moment. Just where did the name Tartarahk blink off in his head?

"Since you are the only ex-Order agent ever to last more than a couple of hours on the island," Helryx continued, "we feel that you should be the one to scope out this area and aid any forces willing to resist the Makuta." She stood up to full height, looking down at Teros, "We believe that this could be the first chance that we have at creating a war with the Brotherhood without revealing ourselves to them. The order would like you to take on this role, and, in doing so, win back your dignity and title as a Toa."

Teros pondered on this for a while. _Ah what the heck_, he thought, _retirement was great, but pretty soon any old Muaka wants to get back to hunting every once in a while_. "Alright," he said, "What do I have to do?"

"Well what do you think the protodermis is for?" Ancient asked, "Washing your feet?"

By now the protodermis was becoming violent. Teros looked at the bubbling liquid in the basin. He knew for a fact that energized protodermis had untold potential of power and mutation. If he jumped, his powers could return again, and he would become a Toa. However, he also knew that the protodermis had equal potential in destruction. Many islands filled with the stuff found out the hard way as to how reactive this stuff was. Teros remembered how a heroic creature of some sort, Nocturn if he remembered correctly, lived on an island where whole veins of the stuff existed all around his island. Well, one day Nocturn got real angry, and so, without knowing what would happen, he took aim and took his temper out at the island. The whole thing blew up bigger than a Great Furnace with one too many explosive power discs inside!

"Alright," Teros said, "You know, I was originally planning on dying today. I guess that I may get that wish, even though I don't want it now."

Without another word, he jumped.

* * *

Helryx and Ancient looked into the bubbling mass of liquid. Five minutes had passed since Teros had leaped inside, and they were beginning to lose hope. The protodermis had managed to calm down, the ripples performed when Teros had jumped in having stilled and reduced to nothing more than just a calm pit of seething liquid. Just as Helryx and Ancient were about to leave in grief , the protodermis suddenly became very violent, bubbling and splashing all around the room. The two Order members stepped back as the entire mass of energized protodermis rose from the basin. A sphere of writhing liquid rose into the air, and began twisting itself around, and around, and around, as if spinning its own orbit. Helryx could vaguely make out a shape inside, something around her size…

Suddenly, the protodermis turned black, its energy drained away completely. It began to compress upon itself, as if being sucked into a black hole. Slowly, the figure of a Toa began to appear, his body covered in a coat of simmering protodermis. The protodermis was absorbed by the figure inside, as his skin began to slowly appear, its black and grey coloring shimmering in the gloom. Silver and dark bronze armor dotted the Toa's body, and a gleaming Zamor rifle sat on his back. A silver Mask of Repair fit snugly on his face, and glowing yellow eyes shone from within the eye-slit of the mask.

The Toa landed softly on the ground in front of the basin. The basin itself smoked and steamed from the process it had to bear. Any further exposure to the protodermis's effects and the basin would have probably melted over, causing the energized protodermis to fall upon any unsuspecting order member below.

Smoke and steam rose off of the Toa of Gravity standing before Helryx and Ancient. He stood to full height, his eyes glowing with power. As if speaking with two souls, one of old, and one far older, he said, "I, Teros, Toa Cordakah, have returned."

* * *

_Present day…_

* * *

Seelkath was furious. The night had gone by with a great battle, which kept almost all of the workers and slaves awake with fright, and he slept through it all! He didn't have a chance to nab any Matoran Resistance members, to grasp them in his claws; to choke them with his fingers, or to impale them with his Shock Spear.

Sadly for the other Slavedrivers, it was they that he took his rage out on. Many were lucky not to be torn to pieces by their leader's wrath, but many more were even luckier to not receive the business end of his spear, or the receiving end of his Zamor Pistol. Entire buildings almost crumbled to pieces before the Slavedriver's wrath.

Tartarahk was just as furious. In the night, Thokros had gone missing. Naturally, that meant that his district of Ko-Makuta didn't have a Slavedriver leader. In the morning to follow the battle, many Slavedrivers under Thokros's care, each equal in low rank due to the Slavedriver's paranoia of a replacement, were fighting amongst themselves for the job. It was all a mess that Tartarahk was too angered to clean up, though many of the Slavedrivers seemed to think that if they came up on top of the battle they would be promising enough to be declared leader of the Ko-Makuta District.

Tartarahk thought differently. He appointed one of his own personal Slavedrivers, one hardened to life in the mines, as the leader of the now seemingly "orderless" district. Dreadahk, a spider-like creature who felt no need for any weapons save for his "natural" ones, was chosen for the job. Several of his limbs had many hooks and claws, and one set actually had a pair of large sword-like appendages, which Tartarahk doubted had naturally grown. Dreadahk looked like a creature that came straight out of Karzahni, and some say that he had. Dreadahk had a seemingly lifeless glow about him, as if he was truly the living dead. Everywhere he walked, slaves backed away in fear. Even the other Slavedrivers feared him, save for Seelkath, who seldom feared anything due to his own rage and, though he'd never admit it, stupidity.

That night, the six Slavedriver leaders, including their new arrival, held a meeting discussing plans for retaliation against what little resistance could be left. The sewers were currently being searched by Vahki and Karakash, but due to the lack of a current map of the system, plus all of the robot-eating Rahi in the sewers, it would take years and hundreds of thousands of machines to find even a simple sign of the escaped resistance.

"Whatevvvvvver the plan issssssss," Seelkath hissed, "I wannnnnt to have the firssssssst shotttttt! All whoooooo fail to seeeeee my thirst for connnnquesssst will be punished sevvvverellllly!"

"Whatever you say," said Rakhurst nonchalantly, "I just want it done and over with."

"Hahahahaha!!!" said Lexhor, "Just let any fool stand in my way. I have four friends who I am very close too, and I think its time that they had some food to eat!" He cackled insanely as he spun his four blades wildly. Even Seelkath, in his mad rage, kept his distance of the poisonous weapons.

All that could be made out from Takea was a couple of growls and roars, but nobody was fooled by Takea's madness. Even they, the scum of the universe, knew what lurked behind the Rahi-like craziness of the blue beast.

"What do you say in this matter, Dreadahk?" Kiro asked the newcomer.

The strange Slavedriver looked up at the five others for the first time that meeting. His eyes, almost like hollow eye sockets, peered through a simple face that seemed to be as hollow as each of their hearts. Dreadahk spoke in a strangely empty voice, his eyes filled with a gray mist.

"I believe that the only thing we can do," he said, "Is ensure they do not live to see the light of another day. Let us make sure that when we do find them, we capture them all, and then call upon all of our most able bodied slaves. Let them whip the Matoran fools who dare try to resist us, and then in their moment of sorrow, kill them outright, in front of hundreds of thousands of slaves. Let us make sure that they all suffer for the mistake and foolishness of resistance."

All of the Slavedrivers, even Takea, where dumbstruck. No Slavedriver was known to make a speech such as that, and whenever they did make speeches, it was to put fear into the hearts of others. This speech not only put fear into the hearts of those that heard it; it inspired the other Slavedrivers, almost as if it was destiny that made him speak those words.

"Uhh," said Seelkath finally, "Thisssss will do for nnnnnnow. Weeeeee continue tommmmorrow. Get bacccckkkkkk to workkkkkk."

The six of them left their separate ways. Kiro, however, waited a while. He watched Dreadahk go on his way towards his district. Using his mastery of shadows, the former Makuta followed the new Slavedriver on his way to Ko-Makuta.

To Kiro's surprise, Dreadahk did not head over to the Ko-Makuta district. Instead he went down deeper into the sewers, past several of the mining operations, and deeper into Makuta Nui. Kiro followed as silently as the shadows he was made of, determined to learn the secret of this seemingly interesting Slavedriver.

Dreadahk finally stopped in front of a doorway. He pushed a secret lever, and the door opened. Quickly, Kiro managed to follow Dreadahk inside before the door closed on his wings.

Kiro found it a little difficult to find a hiding space in the chamber, but he managed, considering his powers over shadow made him excellent for the job. He watched Dreadahk enter through a large hallway, and stop at a simple chamber which was opened into the hall. Dreadahk took out a crystal and placed it on a pillar in the center of the room. A dark, dismal shape creeped out of that crystal. The shape transformed into a horrifyingly disgusting image of a creature, one that looked humanoid, and wore a strange mask with horns.

Kiro almost jumped out of his armor. There was only one mask in existence with horns like that; the infamous Kanohi Olisi!

This creature was the legendary Karzahni!!!

Dreadahk, oblivious to the Makuta hiding in the shadows behind him, bowed to the mighty warlord of death. Karzahni seemed to take a breath, although the wisp of mist that made up his substance was merely a mirage._ The true Karzahni must be in his stronghold_, Kiro thought.

"Why have you called me forth, my creation?" asked Karzahni in a dismal manner. His voice sounded scratched, and seemed to sound like a series of gears that hadn't been oiled in thousands of years attempting to move and bustle in their sockets.

"I have news for you my master," Dreadahk said. Kiro noticed that the Slavedriver, or whatever he was, had dropped the almost dead tone of voice, and spoke as if he were in the presence of his life's purpose. "Your assumptions were correct. A battle had just taken place here the night before. Many viable specimens are ready for your collection. This desolate place is ripe for the picking."

"Excellent," Karzahni hissed with delight. The sound hurt Kiro's ears, something he found rather surprising, "I shall reward you when the time comes. For now, we must be patient. When the moment is right, we shall strike!"

"How will we prepare these viable specimens for transport, my lord?" Dreadahk asked.

The wisp of smoke raised its "arms," and its hands began to conjure more smoke. This smoke began to compress, molding itself into a rhombic prism, until the smoke took the form of a black crystal. The crystal fell into Dreadahk's outstretched hands, its energies flowing within the simple shell of glass that made up the crystal's outsides.

"Take this crystal," Karzahni said to his creation, "and when a new battle ensues, take it into the heart of the fortress. Call upon its powers, and it will wipe out everything living within the center of the island, and you will be able to call upon their bodies for transport. Soon, we shall refresh our ranks, and absolutely nothing will stop us!" There was a noise, supposedly from Karzahni's end of the line, "I must leave now. I will be gone from my fortress for a while; I must find and crush some Matoran who dare to defy my order(_See Into the Darkness_). I leave you in charge of this operation."

"Yes, my master," Dreadahk replied.

The wisp of smoke vanished into its orb, leaving Dreadahk supposedly alone. Dreadahk took the crystal in his hands and placed it carefully on an altar behind the pillar. He bowed to it with as much admiration as a Matoran would to the Great Spirit, and then left his secret room.

Dreadahk's dead eyes looked back and forth as he left the secret doorway. Pushing back the secret lever, he sealed the hidden doorway, and slunk back over to his district. Little did he suspect that the crystal was not the only thing he left inside...

About five minutes later, a strange grating sound came from behind the hidden door. A crackling sound and a surge of power could be heard past the door, though there was nothing to hear the evil sounds that were taking place. An evil, muffled laugh came from within the chamber halls. Suddenly, the door's sides were enveloped with huge, shadowy fingers. A massive shadow hand pushed the door out of the way, and tossed it aside. Kiro, his right hand holding the black crystal, was now surging with dark power. His eyes glowed red with shadow, and his armor glowed with intense energy. He laughed with delight from his newfound discovery, and hissed with the satisfaction of power long lost.

"Ah, at long last..." he sighed, "It feels good to have that barrier off of my shoulders. This device is certainly useful, but far too useful for Dreadahk's own good. After all, why should a child play with fire, when that job is for the adult?"

Kiro looked back at the replacement crystal that he managed to conjure using what power he had about five minutes ago. The exact replica swirled with Makuta energy, although it did not have a fraction of the power that he now possessed. Instead, he rigged the crystal so that if activated it would cause a minor explosion, and devolve into a temporary black hole, taking within its hunger whatever stood next to it, including its master.

He placed the real crystal within a fold in his armor. His power began to cool down. His body reverted back to normal, although he felt five centuries younger within the armor that originally kept his powers at bay.

"Now that my bond has been released," he said, "I will be able to get back at those who dared to oppose me. However, I feel that it would be best if I keep this power to myself. 'Tis better for me to act in denial than to show off my fully returned abilities."

He took out his shadow hand and put the door back in its place so that it would be as perfect as it was before. He spread out his wings, the only other Makuta power that was allowed for him to keep, and he flew through the tunnels towards the surface.

Unbeknownst to him, a pair of gleaming orange eyes saw his leave through the dark. A white axe moved aside the rock that concealed its owner. The figure of Thokros, bruised and dusted as he was, smiled at his newfound discovery. Two planned betrayals all in one day. He looked at the perfectly placed door, and pulled on the secret lever that Dreadahk had used to open the door. He walked through the hall of the room, and spotted the crystal that Kiro had left behind.

_If two Slavedrivers could betray the Brotherhood_, he said slyly to himself, _then I suppose I had better make it three_.

He took up a hastily scribbled note giving directions to Kiro's laboratory, snagged the crystal, and replaced it with the note. He tossed the crystal up and down in his clawed hand, then put it into a pouch on his waist. He walked past the rock where he was hiding. Behind it, a secret staircase led back up to the passage that he had stumbled upon back at the fortress. _Just a little more exploring_, he said to himself, _and then, when the time is right, I will give Kiro a little surprise that he'd probably consider a rude awakening_!

To be continued…

**Kerian**: Three betrayals, a warrior reborn, and a plot under the power of the master of death himself. Not a bad new chapter for the first time in a year, huh?

Since Power of the Cordakah occurs a couple of weeks before Vezon loses the Mask of Life, I decided to add a rather interesting concoction into this chapter. Taking place a little while before the events of 's _Into the Darkness_, right about when Jaller and his Matoran rescue group are attempting to get to Voya Nui, this chapter helps the in-escapable plot about the monstrous Karzahni, whose powers over the realm of death make him a very evil creature indeed. Karzahni always wanted to get revenge after his "brother," Artahka, had recieved the honor of ruling the "heaven" of the Bionicle World, while Karzahni was stuck with the land of the dead. Since he was bad at his original job, which was to repair Matoran, he decided to make many of them his slaves. In the end, this leads up to Karzahni's plans for world domination (similar to Teridax's, except Karzahni happens to be older. It's too bad that Makuta have greater power potential over the mind, otherwise Karzahni would still be trying to have global domination. Read more in _Into the Darkness_ on ).

Dreadahk is a real interesting peice of work. He was originally a plan I made that was meant to create a Bionicle-version of the _Beast Wars_ character Tarantulas, which was later adapted into the Slavedriver he is today. He was originally meant to be the big antagonist, but got replaced by Tartarahk. I decided to re-intigrate him into the story after dropping Thokros from his former role, though Thokros is still a big character in the story (even bigger, now that he's gone rogue).

Well, now that you got some behind-the-scenes information, I'll be signing off. Me, out!

-Kerian, Toa of Fire (my favorite of all elements)


End file.
